India caught day dreaming

Toffee/Candy as a Currency

2011-04-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was paying 75 bucks for my beer against payment of Rs. 100 bill and the vendor returns two Rs. 10 bills and a packet of bhujiya (snack), manufactured in the backyards of Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar or some other shady industrial/trading area of New Delhi. That was too much for me, one rupee coin has long been replaced by toffees/candies/chewing gums, everybody has understood the concept and nowadays at times, even I trade toffees/candies. In case some shopkeeper offers me toffee/candies for a rupee or two, I try to give it back to him or other shopkeeper (in case he is offering toffees/candies as a currency replacement). The only argument from my end is always, if you are offering toffees instead of coins, then you can accept it also.

But five bucks took me by a jolt, not in the sense that five bucks is very crucial to my existence but then I believe, first I don’t want that packet of bhujiya and second as a legal contract he is bound to pay me five bucks. Third shopkeepers are cornering tidy profits by offering their wares as currency.

One of my friends, who runs wholesale drugs (medicine) shop, has a big box candies in his drawer. He puts his hands more in the candy box then in his cash box during the day. Not that he is fond of toffees/candies. He clarifies, “One to four rupee leftovers are made in terms of toffees/candies. It’s difficult to obtain coins from the banks and to manage coins is another hassle.”

It sums up the state of the Economy of the world’s largest secular democratic nation in the world. The central bank is not able to print/float/manage enough currency in the market. Whatever the reasons are?

On the contrary, it’s not about the efficiency/inefficiency of central bank. A large part of the coins printed/floated in the Indian economy are offered as service to Gods, beggars control a significant amount of coins. Even beggars don’t appreciate who offer coins, they want rupees. But then they are not saving/spending completely in coins, a lot can be said and heard about the same, perhaps we need some study to figure out the dilemma, functions, operations and issues around the same.

India is a developing nation, perhaps second nation with a consistent growth level achieved globally. There are new classes emerging in India, from low, middle to upper to very poor, poor, middle, middle burgeoning, middle splurging, rich, urban rich, rural rich, newly rich, techie rich, idea rich, filthy rich, freaking rich, globally rich. Compared to America, we are still an anna size economy, but still it knows, understands and respects the value of 1 cent, the smallest denomination of their currency (Dollar). And India, a land of feudals and tribals has discarded the value of One Rupee. So much so, it is totally into extinction and the value of the same is lost.

In the same vain, Rupee Five Currency Notes is not in print and RBI plans to replace Ten Rupee Currency Notes with coins. The heavy steel coin encased in a copper shell, what is the point of floating such heavy currency in the market. It’s difficult and cumbersome to carry and trade with such heavy coins. In developed nations, we find such a wide range of coins and currency and never once would find 1 cent, 1 Yen will lose its value, the way it has been discarded in India. A day will come when toffees/candies will become currency or is it already so? Keep thinking what will toffee/candy manufacturers might become?

Toffee and candies have taken the position of One Rupee and One Rupee is lost in the glitter of our so called and ultra famed burgeoning booming economy of India.

Live enjoyment in Peepli

2010-08-18T03:17:00.000-07:00

The LIVE word can be construed as live as in live matches or live as we live our lifes.

Peepli Live, most of my friends comprehended, it will be a bore. So what if Aamir Khan is promoting it, it need not be a good movie? And why not Aamir Khan should promote it? He is the producer. When you watch the movie, you realize, you required Aamir Khan to promote this movie? There are interactions, press conferences, you need a face to represent the movie. The posters do reveal a lot about the movie, a poor rural family, few mikes hanging from the top, media swarming from the top, LIVE word in frame and a handpump. So what if the whole caste and the issue is pasted on it? You have little or no idea, how its going to play? One of the rare posters, which captures and narrates the real characters of the movie and summons it at appropriate places.

Take a dig at the other poster pictured below. It a tempu, the mass transporter of rural India. In my native place, it is known as bhoond (Punjabi word for honey bee). It is distastingly painted black with some part of it yellow, may be the front hood or the top part. But the sight of tempu is the same in any part of our truly majestic India, people are hanging from all sides and their daily wares.

Peepli Live is one of the rare movies of Bollywood, which was running without (count it), a named and famed director, no famed actor, no famed actress, no dream sequences, no dances, no item number, no burning issue, no action, no romance, no melodrama, no crying, barely music (definitely can be defined as antonym of musical). What the movie contains? Just the way India was and currently it is progressing. A very nice written and delivered script revolving around a very small incident but a very big issue for India. We should learn to laugh at ourselves that is what director has tried to aim. If you feel ashamed, do something about it? Until then keep laughing at your plight.

Peepli Live is a satire on farmer’s suicide. But I believe, honestly, it is a satire on media and our political system or perhaps the way our country is being run. The moot point the director raises, a farmer may not till his/her land, may not require money/food. All they want is the respect for their lands. We are not able to provide them with a single way of existence, aim, mission, vision and dream of our life.

Media star characters are brilliantly brought to the front. Perhaps a spoof or original cut-outs of Barkha Dutt of NDTV and Chaurasia of AajTak (don’t know if this fellow has switched employers, well must have, we all do). Media is the most creative industry in India. They can make and create a movie and an issue with nobody. This is what they have depicted in the movie. They are trying to address an issue of farmer suicide. Yet it is the last thing, on their mind.

Every character plays to his part with such elegance and poise. The media personnel as they are hogging like dogs and spewing like donkeys. Natha, the real face of the movie, has barely one or two dialogues. But his expressions make his character. I have no idea what is happening in my life, why is it happening and what I am supposed to do about it? Just listens and barely responds. Raghubir Yadav, one of the finest actors in India. The wife, as women are (oh sorry as rural woman are), always screaming and abusing their husbands and in laws.

Politicians and IAS officers, as they are in real life, we are only here to show and project that we are trying to do things. The only beneficiary in the name of WE the people is me, me and me. The handpump in the picture below is granted under the Lal Bahadur Shastri scheme by the District Collector. Natha does ask for the fitting expenses but that is not part of the scheme. Nobody talks about his loan or his land in possession of the bank.

Finally the amma, whose only working limb is her tongue and she uses it to perfection to abuse at every opportunity and appropriate time anybody who comes in front of her. Especially her bahu (daughter in law) with kulta, naaspiti, karamjali, abhouri, naagin, daayein and yes there are few prefixing family relations too.

The ending does not possess a happy ending like a typical Bollywood masala, boy hugging the girl’s parents. Such movies never have a happy ending, instead it creates another level of disruption with no conclusion.

Conclusion or no conclusion, do watch it in theatre and definitely finds a place in the selected DVDs section.

Tere Bin Laden - Watch it or Laugh it

2010-08-06T00:48:00.000-07:00

The name of the movie suggests, it’s a satire. It’s a satire on Osama Bin Laden, THE MAN on this earth with $25 million for its headless body and couple of billions or trillions already in the drain for his head. I really admire him for the way; he has made Americans to stalk the Afghanistan. Normally the world wants to stalk or hound Americans till the time they abuse you in public.

For the movie, Mr. Laden raises cocks and hens. He runs a mini poultry farm of his own. He loves and adores his cocks and hens. The irony and parody running in the movie is remarkable and phenomenal. A young Pakistani reporter working with some stupid Danka TV wants to go to America, the land of his dreams. The movie comes at a time when in reality, the Americans have made Pakistan a bigger mess than Afghanistan, that too for supporting America and not fighting them. Though for the reporter, Mr. Ali Zafar should remain stuck to his singing and not acting. He barely knows and seems to show little potential to become an actor.

The irony and parody in the movie, a Pakistani reporter wants to visit America riding on his success of an interview with a fake Osama Bin Laden. What on Earth went in the maker’s mind? Everybody is laughing their way including the producers. I never expected the movie to be a laugh riot. You are laughing and laughing, till it hurts with all the quirky one liners from Noora aka Osama Bin Laden. The best one is “tere behan nu lassi pilawa”. Or Sikander, my star murga, who won the competition; “he, alone has taken control/incharge of 1000 hens”.

The whole effort goes in building the characters, Osama Bin Laden aka Noora, cameraman, owner of the channel, make-up artist, Ted ji, Pakistani brigadiers. Definitely a must watch for all the Asians. In introspection of what we are and what we aim to become and definitely the means we attach to it.

Tweet or Text

2010-07-15T01:30:00.000-07:00

One of my friends commented on facebook, “this is most shared video amongst my friends”. I congratulated her on this feat and suggested to put it on resume. Before I begin, personally I don’t have anything against the social networking world/arena/sphere/geography. Really don’t know how anybody wants to define it. It is a great way to connect. I have found schoolmates, friends, love, lost love, found love, have done and used it for all the practical and not so practical things (actually more for it).

Aamir Khan is not normally found in news too much. Except around the release of his movie, he virtually pastes his name, his movie’s name on every wall, street, road, lips of India. But for the past some time, he has been in news for joining twitter. The news reads, Aamir Khan decides to join twitter.

The media frenzy has little or no job, hence they try to make a BREAKING NEWS of any monkey climbing the wall or even falling from it. Aamir Khan’s twitter joining/commencement/launch date was even more anticipated than any of his movies. People lose jobs/stature due to twitter. Big B was the most busy actor till recent and now he is persuading his community (Bollywood) people to join Twitter. As long as Big B is concerned, he never uses a product is he is not endorsing it. He is endorsing all the things that are required in daily life.

Media stays on job for following Twitter of celebrities. The name, profile pic, mahurat of first tweet, every silly aspect, which Aamir otherwise may not have thought for movies even. “Twitter ka baadshah kaun”, we will hear this news and analysis, few months down the line.

Aamir Khan got 37,500 followers on his first day of tweeting.

This morning he joined Twitter officially and said in his first message: "Bhala gardish falak ki chain deti hai kise Insha, ganimat hai ke hum surat yahan do-chaar baithey hain. Esp for you sir. Love. Thanks for the warm welcome guys. Love. Aamir."

Amitabh welcomed him saying, "Thank you Aamir... You give more due than I deserve ... Happy Tweeting ...."

In this narrow world, where SMSes have replaced letters. Tweets are replacing the real touch of a human being.

Raavan – Why and How of it?

2010-07-12T01:23:00.000-07:00

I know it’s too late to actually discuss about the movie, “Raavan”, especially these days when the highly anticipated are doomed in three days (maybe first date or during pre-release even) and the much celebrated last 10 days. But still its better to let out the autopsy report after all the dust has settled.

As the saying goes, an exceptional filmmaker is granted pardon for one exceptional blunder of his career. But its still hard to digest, when you name, Mani Ratnam.

Honestly I was not so bored as everybody was while watching Raavan. Not because I have spent money and we should try to enjoy the movie. Every movie has something or the other to offer. In case of Raavan, it was Santosh Sivan’s work. The way he has shot the visuals of the movie even if Abhishiek sliding down the mountain goes out of the frame is worth it. Just enjoy, we only dream about such visuals and places. When you visit, it’s never so enchanting or out of the world, so definitely a high point of the movie.

So the big question is, Why was Raavan made at the first instance? Everybody said before the release, it’s the career defining film for the first couple of Bollywood. It’s definitely career defining movie, I hope they make more sensible choices in future.

Yesterday watching a repeat telecast of IIFA awards and Amitabh was receiving award for Best Actor for his role in PAA. How many great actors in Bollywood have won a Best Actor award without a trophy like actress in their arms in movie? Leave aside SRK, Aamir, none. Actually barring the two, hardly others get a chance. Amitabh Bachchan out of his magnanimity in 1991 or 1992 gave his Best Actor award to the other nominees in Best Actor category and told the baton should be handed over to the next generation. Not that he is less magnanimous or his craving for awards has increased. Its perhaps the first family of Bollywood should only get such awards, since the next generation is not taking the responsibility (the son), hence the elderly has to take the charge (the father). In Bollywood, its not your work or the character you have played, but rather you and your out of the movies personality should exhibit that yes I do deserve an award. The big award winners are always in media circles for most of the things which are not related to movies.

I can bet on it, the best villain award for 2010 goes to Abhishiek Bachchan husband of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (former Miss World) and yes he is still son of Amitabh Bachchan, the lead actor of Bollywood.

Couple of years back, Abhishiek said, paa got an award, maa got an award, I was nominated; I would have been good had I got an award even. I truly and with whole heart sympathize with you Abhishiek. When you are brought up in the setup where only receiving awards and adding honours is the need and purpose of your existence. It definitely feels bad. Even I am undergoing similar type of circumstances, my brother and sister always agree with my father and I am the one, who is always arguing and add to the fact, they always scored good in academics and I was always floundering.

Everybody in the Bachcan family has been awarded Padma Shri, except Abhishiek Bachchan. Going by the profile of the family, isn’t it justified and time for the junior AB to be awarded few or most of the stupid Bollywood awards and followed by the big Padma Shri award in 2011 or maximum by 2012.

Some people have already started crying for what?
For his stupid, uniconic and very useless and superficial act of Beera. The most boring and disturbing element of Beera was his trademark bur-bur-bur-bur or bak-bak-bak while shaking his head, which is like a necessity to be provided to any villain in a Bollywood movie. Gone are the days, when Mogambo would say, “mogambo khush hua”, everybody would get sad on hearing about his khushi. Children living in villages, towns and cities actually feared the Gabbar of Sholay. That was where Mr. Mani failed, casting the Bachchan scion as the villain, a villain never deserves a sympathy. Even if he deserves, it is for his situations and not for his way and means. Beera got it all. Ram and Sita were like unfit blocks disturbing the Raavan. Even the actress was convinced with the villain. The hero, the quintessential good man of Bollywood movies was lost looking for his place in the script. Perhaps that’s the reason it was named RAAVAN and not Ramayana. For the audience, the real RAAVAN still is Mr. Mani Ratnam.

IT’S OFFICIAL NOW: Shopping makes men impotent

2010-07-01T03:40:00.000-07:00

Shopping is really bad for men's health and fertility, scientists are now saying after new research.

I definitely knew about the health part but I still doubt the fertility point. Men get weak, bored to death while women love to shop. Women enjoy shopping, while the man goes through the process of heart-aches and numbness. For women it is stress reliever, while for men it is biggest source of stress.

The way women spend, definitely affects the man’s health. Losing his hard-earned money, when men know they have little option, then can only save to undergo heart surgery. A man cannot defend his own territory against a woman.

The study says, “In the long term, this leads to less sexual drive, encourages the belly instead of the muscles to grow and has a bad effect on erection and potency”.

I doubt the fact actually losing the battle perhaps bring with it few brownie points, for which men are ready to undergo suffering. If it leads to the point mentioned in the study, then perhaps the world will become a sad and bad place to live. Most of the women will turn violent and abusive and forget about themselves as woman. Think about it, men stop going to shopping with women. They’ll believe most of the problems have been capped. But still the problem aggravates, because it will make them less manly.

Contrary to all the theories, practices, if a man takes his woman for shopping, then his heart ache, it means trouble, if he doesn’t, he feels less manly, may risk the chances of losing self-confidence and thus perhaps maybe, fertility.

But still this topic is open for debate and suggestions. Women are not going to change or improve and men never even try to be the change they want to see.

Mukesh on Broadband via Wireless

2010-06-12T04:56:00.000-07:00

3G and BWA auctions are over. After all the important, not so important commented on the lack of Indian Govt. to license and allow to launch 3G at par on time with the developed nations. Here comes the time, when 3G (Third Generation Wireless Services) or BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) is/will be reality in India in few month’s time. 3G or BWA has the speed that you can make babies on net. You can watch your favourite TV show, movie even on mobile.

PM (Pranab Mukherjee, though it hints more at Manmohan Singh) is laughing his way to the bank. Govt.’s (all over the World) make money by giving us the license to live (Income Tax), grow (Wealth Tax) and do business (too many to list). But derisking the whole nation by licensing to source/monetize waves is the masterstroke. Rupees One Lakh Six Thousand Crore Only, it was difficult to count the zeros. Telecom Ministry has become the Jewel in the Crown, especially after Mr. Raja became a big embarrassment for the UPA Govt. in their previous term due to telecom licenses. His name could make the new Govt. fall. He definitely needs to be given a bonus for the monies that the Govt. has earned. The money could easily help the Govt. to reduce the Fiscal Deficit by 100 basis points, after reaching the alarming levels in 2009-10. I fear it may not amount to mere electronic entries for the Govt. of India, wherein, telcos. approach the PSU banks to help them in financing their license fee, as happened in previous PSU market issues (listing on stock market). SBI and LIC filled up the issue numbers of NMDC and NTPC as market (investors) expected little from the Govt.

Let us take a peekaboo at the build up and the outcome of the auctions.

Before the build up, let’s look at the outcome. Mukesh Ambani is back in telecom space. That’s the bigger news in the industry than the money to be parked with Govt. coffers. Mukesh Ambani is famous/known for disrupting the markets with his ambitious and audacious plans. Market players are forced to change their strategies, thinking to stay in business.

People are guffawing for the fact that why BWA has managed to collect double the revenues for the Govt. than 3G. In 3G, only Reliance, Bharti, Vodafone, Tata and Aircel participated. There are whole bunch of players in Internet business. RCOM, Tata and Idea have already backed out of the bids, referring it as too steep prices for broadband business.

Mukesh Ambani has done the trick, bid and bagged all the 22 circles in BWA auction. Mukesh Ambani builds assets at the price at which it is difficult to think even. 22 circles at Rs. 128.48 billion when most others have coughed upto Rs. 6,000 Crore for 5,6 or 8 odd circles. Mukesh Ambani’s in his trademark style has taken the assets at the heavy discount as compared to other players in the industry.

Further to be anticipated, how he moves front and back in the telecom and digital telephony space with BWA license. Listen and just try to interpret, “A single 20 MHz TDD spectrum when used with LTE (Long Term Evolution) has the potential of providing greater capacity when compared to existing communication infrastructure in the country”. Another strange thing, when perhaps it was said, that some of the bigger groups were ready to offer their license to RIL at throwaway prices. Infotel Broadband Services (P) Ltd., I doubt if they anything relating to broadband besides the word in the Company Name. Mr. Nahata is still to pay Rs. 500 odd crores to the bank. Still recording losses at breakneck speed, I really adore their commitment to the Company.

Biggest uproar is the fact, Mukesh Ambani is back into his dream industry days after scraping the non-compete agreement with his litloo (younger brother). Reliance Infocomm set up by Mukesh Ambani now known as Reliance Communications is now in the hands of Anil Ambani in family division. Did that Non-Compete Agreement possess any importance?, when they had fought tooth and nail for the dead gas floating in sea bed of Krishna Godavari basin.

As for the customers, they are going to rake the moolah with the pricing strategy and product development of Mukesh Ambani.
Last time it was Roti, kapda aur mobile.
This time it will be less than that even but still sufficient.

Real life vs. Virtual Life

2010-06-08T01:06:00.000-07:00

“I am working on my autobiography”, reads my Orkut profile. Some other random different words for my Facebook profile. The question to be asked, how real our virtual world is, especially in comparison to the time we are dedicating to it these days. There are people who have transported themselves to the virtual world and isolated from the real world. Real world is scrawny, bad and real, it tells and reflects about the real you. But the virtual world is all about the good things about you and in this world. Virtual world comes with no caveat. No bars hold/held, you can do anything you wish to do, they way you wish too. Remain anonymous, even if it is hidden, who is going to find out.

We can do anything with words and with the picture pasted on the computer but not to real life people. At times, it does help us in identifying with ourselves but more or less, it may not be the case for the most. We may not like few people, which is human nature, so we stop interacting with them or perhaps ignore them. But in virtual world, even if somebody is irritating or real boring, we know its just the picture. I had a friend, who was always discussing about his blog and the opinions that his followers framed for his post. We should take and respect opinions about yourself, whether good or bad (most of the times, its good in virtual world) but without ignoring the real opinions. He was concerned about their opinions and not mine to stop living in the dream.

With the advent of Twitter, things are getting more out of hand. Priyanka, Shahrukh, every other celebrity in the world to connect to their fans. But in real life, if any of their fond fan turned friend via Twitter turns up at their door, he/she will be labeled stalker and handed over to the police. Amitabh’s FMxt is always welcome, everyday he is thanking and praying for somebody or the other. A real, noble gesture from the face of Indian Bollywood, albeit on a virtual world. FMxt exists on internet. Is it perhaps the disconnect only, which connects people? On the contrary, in IPL, the ones who twitter have lost their jobs. The seemingly disconnect between real and virtual world is diminishing. People are writing ‘WILLs’ for their digital assets.

The whole online game is very infectious and contagious. I know, we have stopped remembering or memorizing things, want to find some information, Google it. When were you born? I need to Google and check. Online diaries, reminder notes, digital birthday calendar, birthday reminder, online wishes, the world is corresponding through waves and not through emotions or feelings.

And if you don’t have an online presence, you are dumb, stupid and ostracized from this world. People frown at you. There was a time, when people dialed everybody’s number and could write our phonebook front to back. We actually remember the other person’s voice, sounds and now, the cellphone beeps the person’s name. Simple, we don’t remember our home number even or surprised at times, when our parents call from PCO (one in million times) or from their colleague’s/ friend’s and we ask, who is it?

There are certain boons or perhaps the reason for its popularity. The speed with which this medium carries information to one and all. One of the mobile phone companies, is advertising, yesterday was so 317 Updates ago?

I’d suggest to everybody, stop dreaming, start LIVING.

Until then, BrB.

Smile Please

2010-06-08T00:18:00.000-07:00

Family gatherings are so much fun. Especially in today’s fast pace world, when everybody is neck deep in their worldly affairs. So an occasion for the family to allow them to come together is the moment to cherish. I was meeting my family, extended family for my elder brother’s engagement ceremony. I meet my elder aunt (mausi), you are getting better with age. Perhaps she found a new world after becoming grandmother. No there’s something with her teeth, her brown pouty teeth were now replaced with white structured dentist’s teeth. She possessed a completely new kind of smile. I somehow found it too fake. But her smile made me remember of somebody, my mother’s aunt (chachi). My mausi’s smile completely resembled her aunt’s smile and pout. I realized we all can sport the same smile with the dentist’s teeth. Imagine the whole world posing with the artificial smile. The smile, the most inherent element of any person’s outside personality and charisma.

2010-05-17T05:09:00.000-07:00

MS Dhoni is on the verge of losing his status in his job. Being part of Indian cricket team and leading the Indian cricket team are the most sought after and toughest jobs to hold in India. Everybody thought its difficult for Dhoni to lost the job considering his stature and the maturity he possessed and depicted on and off the field. In india, its more important to control things off the field than managing the game on the field. This is where Dhoni faltered. Dhoni should have given a better reason for losing the game. Its not bad to lose, but the way Indian team does not even fight or make the other team struggle to win. To top it all, we have our media, it deviates us from the whole issue. It was over the dismal Indian team performance. But the stretched the Dhoni remark on IPL parties. I seriously doubt if IPL is good for cricket.

Getting back to the IPL parties, Mehr Jesia, wife of Arjun Rampal, who is good friend (offering all the services) of Shah Rukh Khan, franchise owner of IPL, a strong ally of Lalit Modi. Mehr Jesia organized IPL post match parties. She defends the IPL parties by saying, nobody forced them to attend the parties. Anybody put in the cricketer shoes, cannot say NO to such party. Such party not because of free booze, smokes, butt shaking, breast ogling babes and last of all the music.

Lets say its just a normal office party, your boss invites you for it, who does one say for it. Just a normal business networking session over a couple of drinks, what do you tell your boss? I’ll be there, even if you hate drinks and socializing, you try to be part of the party wholesome to score some brownie points with your boss and develop some contacts for your job, business or perhaps be offered a new job. On top of it, your colleagues tell you that the most beautiful and sexy Cindrella is gorging on you, that party may be the place to hit the SIX. No matter how screwed you are during the day.

I am sure, the glamour and the itsy-bitsy cheerleaders, so called glam dolls hanging as a trophy in the arms of the cricketer, who would say NO to such a party. Just in case, you don’t show any interest to Cindrella, you are questioned about your sexuality (in the legalized homosexual world) or whatever.

Now comes, the most silly or stupid reason from Ms. Jesia. She could have consulted Shah Rukh Khan for his maturity and wittiness. These parties help cricketers get close to their fans. If she means fans are the glam dolls and they want to sleep with their favorite cricketer and that too of dozen different nationalities. I’d surely say, yes, fans really got close to their stars. But otherwise, how many of the fans were invited or allowed to mingle with the cricketers from the stands ticket costing Rs. 100 or Rs. 500 or even Rs. 1000. Cricket is not Bollywood, where you spend a night with your director/producer and you can take a day off or get hold off your day. A sportsperson mind and body requires a certain level of discipline. They don’t have second or ‘n’ number of chances like actors.

Anybody, who is not related to cricket, has the right to say anything he or she wishes to say about cricket, except the playing team. Its even worse than America talking terrorism. But if Dhoni or Tendulkar, wishes to say something, it’s a crime.

Cricket is no longer a sport but a tamasha run by buffoons. Its not your on field performance that matters, whether you hit a SIX or bold out on DUCK. Just watch your tongue and that too, off the field.

And Dhoni did teach us a lesson, no matter how good or bad you are, whether you are performing or not. Never/ever question the antics/methodologies of your boss/organization.

Bhajji ... dum hai

2010-04-23T05:17:00.000-07:00

Only a Sardar can do it. Hugging the richest man's woman of India.

Bhajji U rock...........

Its certainly not about Cricket

2010-04-20T02:22:00.000-07:00

Lalit Modi has proved that he is the best player in the cricketing world post the success of IPL-2 in South Africa. But the IPL-3 made us realize is that it is the most dangerous sports/business to be in and how shady the character of Lalit Modi is. Comparisons are being drawn between Lalit Modi and Shashi Tharoor. There cannot be any comparisons between the two. Shashi Tharoor has been clean bowled or perhaps retired hurt by Lalit Modi, when he was just supporting a spectator. Lalit Modi was also not found on the field. So you know Lalu Parekh (Lalit Modi’s name in the book, The GameChangers by Fake IBL Player) decides even who can support which team.

Personally I am in awe of Lalit Modi, he can hit sixes at any ball or clean bowl any batsman as and when he wants. Last year, he was in virtual fist fight with our Hon’ble Home Minister, Mr. P. Chidambaran. Jaipur ground could not host its fair share of matches as Modi was not appointed on Rajasthan cricket board. One of the friends wrote on his facebook status, “Conveniently, Low intensity blasts outside Bangalore cricket grounds to shift the venue to Mumbai”, inspite of Lalubhai claiming water tight security measures for the tourney. Now he has clean-bowled Shashi Tharoor. It’s difficult to manage bollywood stars, cricketers (the most spoilt breed of humans in India), not only from India but across the nations and last but not the least, the politicians (of course, Mr. Pawar would have helped him in taking care of this aspect).

Everybody is talking about money Modi’s is making. I believe he is getting peanuts for his job and the money which changes hands during the tourney. A rough palpable figure may be close to a $ 1 billion every year without taking into account the money involved in match fixing and betting. In India, you are never paid for your job. You have to make your own ways to make money. I know, it sounds illegal.

Most of the sports/casino (gambling related) businesses are run through Cayman Islands, Bahamas. In India, Mauritius is famous as majority of the times Mauritius is the first place for cash outflows and last place for cash inflows and from there on, it travels to other tax havens. Nobody can get the identity of the persons owning the businesses in these tax havens.

Lalit Modi is a very illustrious and powerful person. He has a very healthy, wealthy and colourful lifestyle. I ask, why it shouldn’t be? He belongs to the Modi family, one of the most influential business families in post independent era of India. He had his share of college masti and was arrested for possession of cocaine and assaulting charges. The difference between criminal and non-criminal is a criminal is caught with his wrong doings. Modi seems to be suffering from his old college days. He has again been caught. Proving the theories will be little difficult. Personally, we shoudn’t, that’s his personal choice. Allegedly he has married his mum’s friend. He (age 47) is already a grandfather. I don’t know whether you should call it step or not. His wife’s child from first marriage has a daughter. His issues with Mr. Tharoor started due to Gabreilla. Gabreilla is seen at IPL parties. Lalubhai was soon to be immortalized by the cricket fraternity.

Mr. Shashi Tharoor was once contesting for the top post of Secretary General, UN. He is widely acclaimed for his works and thoughts across the world. For years, he had been representing India at the UN. He was the voice and the image of India. His recent designation was an understatement of his accolades and achievements. With all his knowledge and wisdom, how he got involved is a mystery? The New Age Politician, the unofficial ambassador of Twitter or to some extent of the digital medium is spending less time digitizing and more time for apologizing for his love for the digital world. Had he or not, perhaps or maybe he may now get closer to Sunanda Pushkar.

Mr. Tharoor has lost his job. Lalit Modi is pipped to lose his job.
What is the whole issue about?
Who is responsible for how much?
Had Rendezvous given sweat equity to Salman Khan instead of Sunanda Pushkar, would have been better?
Is it relationship of Shashi Tharoor with Sunanda Pushkar?
Is it about betting?
Is it about money laundering?
Is it about Lalit Modi having stake in three different IPL teams?
Is it some other power strife among our Hon’ble Congress men?
Is it about cricket?

I believed sports are a peace and good will maker. But this IPL is nothing about cricket/sports. It is not even about the game. It’s all about the controversies. Who grabs the maximum headlines or photo-ops? We are witnessing a test match in T20 format.

BCCI is mum over the whole issue. They want to take over ICC and be the authority of cricket globally. It’s like Americans bombing Iraq for no reason or plan.
So many questions, yet there are no answers. Except for the fact, it is certainly not about CRICKET.

Its boring to be ADULT

2010-04-19T03:28:00.000-07:00

Today I felt vindicated after spending one week in water, I was able to float in water. Though swimming still seems a distant dream. But soon it will be a reality. My friends are shouting on top of their voices, you are paying 2 grands just for taking bath in a swimming pool. But now I am confident, I have somehow fought with my inhibitions to swim.

Schools have just started and there are dozens of kids splashing water with their hands and legs. Totally disconnected from the world, whether or not, they wish/will learn to swim, they are hardly bothered. Why can’t I get my days back of innocence/ignorance?

And in the showers, the coordinator announces, your next period can also be dedicated to swimming. Everybody is clapping, shouting, as if Aishwarya has been crowned Miss World for the second time. My friend is smiling at me and tells, quick, we are getting late for office. And I ask him, will you feel the same if your boss calls and tells you, you can come an hour late to the office. He says, your question has boss and office in it? I get numb when I hear from boss and feel too bored to go to office. It only adds to the already boring life we are leading, forget about the happiness. If the card does not meet its master (the swipe machine), I am always bothered about losing my half day’s salary. So there is no scope of excitement to arise because of the constant fear in my mind. Dude, I don’t know, whether we are struggling for peace of mind or fighting against time. Either ways, both are hard to achieve.

Why cant we grown ups feel the same kind of joy and excitement as kids do, on such small-small things in our life? My neighbours’ son, had always only one concern after returning home from school in the afternoon, I should stay away from my house for next six hours. My mom bothers me to finish my home work. Homework or perhaps teacher’s spanking was the only concern in our life. Now, there are so many people for whom we are planning/scheming and yet not achieve anything. Everything boils down to the fact how much you are earning. (More on that sometime later)

Future of IPL

2010-04-16T03:53:00.000-07:00

Just a forward - too hilarious

As Napoleon Nayudu prepared to face another ball, several thoughts raced through his mind. After being bought by the Gummidipoondi Gumboils for an astronomical $5 million in the 2015 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, he knew he had a reputation to keep up. Should he try a straightforward Toyota Front Foot Drive this time, or should he aim for a Bombay Dyeing Cover Drive ? Or perhaps an ITC Square Cut (Statutory warning: Smoking is Injurious to Health) would be a better idea? He realised he needed to hit an IBM boundary soon. Ever since IBM had announced they would pay Rs 1 lakh per boundary and Rs 5 lakh for a six, he had been trying to run less and hit more. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been doing either in this match, because the Begusarai Bandits had some very good bowlers. The next ball, he played a Pepsi Inside Edge onto his Maggi middle stump and trudged wearily off the field to the accompaniment of boos from the Vodafone Zoozoo stand at the Kellogg’s Special K-Cereal stadium in Gummidipoondi.

Relaxing in the Parle Glucose commentary box, Saurav Ganguly ruminated on the momentous changes in the game that had occurred since the IPL came into being. In 2010, he remembered, the game started to really grow, with huge sums of money being paid for the Pune and Kochi teams. Teams soon started springing up like frogs in the monsoon. And when the Gorakhpur Gorillas won the IPL in 2012, every district town in the country wanted its own side.

The IPL season was extended to six months in the year, then to 12 months and soon, once the villages started having their own sides, you had matches on all 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Industrialists sold off their old companies and bought IPL teams. Twenty five of the 30 Sensex stocks were of cricketing companies. Advertisers fought with each other to sponsor matches, stadiums, sixes, fours, shots, balls, wickets and what not. Every patch of the players’ clothing, his arm guard, helmet, and pads was covered in advertisements. Tendulkar Itch Guard Crotch Guards started a new trend in merchandising, selling like hot cakes.

As the money flowed in, players’ salaries zoomed. Everybody wanted to be a cricketer. Engineering and medical colleges were deserted and Indian Institutes of Management converted themselves into institutes of cricketing management. C.K. Prahalad lectured on the pot of gold at the bottom of the leg stump.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Lalit Modi mooted a radical proposal in the Lok Sabha for nationalising the Board of Control for Cricket in India , pointing out that its profits would wipe out the government’s fiscal deficit. Food production had suffered, he said, as villagers refused to till their fields and spent their time playing cricket instead. A law prohibiting the transformation of arable land into cricket pitches was swiftly passed. A resolution to install a statue of Lalit Modi in Parliament was also adopted unanimously.

Back in the commentary box, Ganguly did a rapid mental calculation and told his listeners that Napoleon was now being paid the equivalent of Rs 10 lakh per run. A twinge of regret passed through him — during the IPL season in 2010, he recalled, he had been paid only about Rs 1.8 lakh per run. He needed to make more money, he thought. Maybe he would join Navjot Sidhu in The Great Indian Laughter Challenge and be paid lakhs for laughing. For the rest of the match, he practised laughing hysterically at each ball.

Royalty still has chance

2010-04-15T02:49:00.000-07:00

To be successful in Indian television broadcasting market and make oodles of money, design or copy a reality show. But the Manoranjan ka baap or Enterntainment ki saas, IPL beats everything when it is compared to any other show on television. Ekta Kapoor made us believe that we are a bunch of sadists, schadenfreudes who just love tears. Inspite of all the drama, brouhaha and the bullshit enveloping IPL, there are no tears in IPL. We don’t need a bag of tissue box, just a beer and some munchies.

Lalit Modi blames, Shah Rukh will dance naked, Shilpa will kiss, Preity will hug, cheers will glow, it is undisputed mother of all reality shows. External Affairs Minister is on the verge of losing his job. Agriculture Minister was briefing for Ms. Pushkar, some model, owner, who danced, ramp walked, marketed, owned, God knows what; during the harvesting season (Baisakhi). The only difference between IPL and all other reality shows is the choice of winner is not demanded (shown, fabricated – without getting into the specifics) by an SMS.

Is IPL also a scripted story like reality shows to add more drama and action for the viewers to watch? Well I know I am staring at the Yorkers and batting without the Gaurd. To say a little about T-20 format, its just the matter of how many sixes you can hit or wickets you can pluck in 15th to 18th over for any team who wishes to win, especially when playing second innings. This year, it seems the matches results have been designed keeping in mind the egos or the deep pockets of the team owners.

But then after 50 odd matches (yeah 49 to be precise) and only seven games left for the Semi-Finals, we are still working out the probabilities about who may stand a chance to enter the SEMIs. Only Mumbai Indians will certainly play in SEMIs and Kings XI is playing only for deriving the valuation figures for its owners and for the semis, they can dream about IPL-4.

The other six teams are still hanging whether they will or will not qualify for the SEMIs. I’d say the same even for Bangalore, although they are on No. 2 in the points tally, with only one game left and if Deepika and Katrina don’t come to cheer and clap for the team together, they might be shaking their heads at No. 6 position. Bangalore has better chances for SEMIs, compared to other probabilities. RCB will be facing MI for its final league match. Still five teams end up hoarding up for 2nd, 3rd and 4th position.

Rajasthan Royals, I am pretty bored of Royalty people around me. They have bored me to death, analysis, permutations, combinations, cheers, facebook, twitter, everywhere everything revolves around Royalty. As if Shilpa will dance for each one of them, if they win. Still I’d suggest them not to lose hopes, if Royalty pays off in their last match and other teams lose and win in the right manner (averages matter), they may see Yusuf Pathan (after hitting two sixes) getting out once more. They will be praying for better performance from Kings XI.

Delhi Daredevils has both matches against teams who are also vouching for a position in the SEMIs, so those will be nail biting matches.

Shah Rukh Khan has accepted his team’s failure, which means the team has been instructed not to play well for the upcoming matches. But if they wish to reach SEMIs and win both the matches, SRK may have to dance naked.

CSK and Deccan have both, two matches against Delhi and Kings XI. Lets see how much charge devils can dare to or super kings swipe the devils who dare or Kings XI continues with its Pawn XI strategy.

Hope rajasthan proves their royalty sums. Knight Riders truly shows that they know how to ride like Knights even when royalty is deducted and Indians don’t cheer. Until then just watch how royal is the challenge to the Indians.

Whether the permutations/combinations work or don’t will be sorted out in a week’s time, until then the Creative Producer/Writer/Director (Lalit Modi) is the only person enjoying his time on the show.

Where have all the good guys gone?

2010-04-12T02:56:00.000-07:00

Pritish Nandy Blog write in Times of India

I was born into a world without villains. The British had left India. We were a free nation. There were many heroes: Gandhi, Subhash Bose, Sri Aurobindo, Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, Ambedkar. Remarkable guys who fought, each in his own way to bring us freedom. A spanking new nation was about to be built. Everyone was excited. It was heady times; it felt great to be an Indian. All our other identities were subsumed.

Yes, there was a bloody Partition. Many had lost their homes and families. Some people were angry, very angry, but that anger was specific. It was directed at those responsible for the bloodshed. It was not free floating rage. No one in those days was stupid enough to confuse Pakistanis with Muslims or the British with Christians. Everyone was anxious to put the past behind and get on with the task of building a new India. Since I grew up in Kolkata I met many people, Hindus and Muslims, who had fled what was then East Pakistan. They were trying hard to rebuild their lives. The locals did not see them as unwelcome immigrants. Instead, they went out of their way to help them. I remember my mother giving her blouses to a refugee woman to embroider even though she could barely afford it on her meagre school teacher’s salary.

There was magic in the air, the magic of nation building. There were dreams that everyone dreamt, of creating a new India where we would all be Indians first. In our living room hung pictures of Rabindranath Tagore, Gandhi, Subhash Bose. My father would proudly tell me stories of the freedom struggle and politicians were then our biggest heroes. No, I never heard of a film star or a cricketer then. We spoke only about politicians and how they would change India. We believed in them. We admired them.

By the time I was in high school things had changed. People were burning buses and trams to protest against a one paisa ticket price rise. It wasn’t actually the price rise. It was free floating rage against being let down by the political class. When I joined college, the best students of my class vanished one day only to surface in Naxalbari fighting for what they saw as a just cause, the rights of the rural poor. I may not have agreed with them but like all young men of the time I believed in the good fight. Student politics in Europe was hotting up. Tariq Ali in England, Daniel Cohn-Bendit in Paris, Rudi Dutschke in Germany inspired the May uprising in Europe. Governments began to feel threatened by youth power. Che was the new idol and young people swore by his vision of a new world. But no, it didn’t take long for disenchantment to set in. Marxism became the God that failed.

It wasn’t only Marxism. Politics failed India. Pictures of politicians in the living rooms disappeared. We read about bloody clashes between political parties, religious groups, castes, communities. Regional issues reared their head. New conflicts emerged. We began to hear of crimes we had never heard before. Suddenly there were villains all around. People we began to hate, who were among us but not one of us. Politics became murky; we began to seek our heroes elsewhere. Actors became stars. So did writers, singers, journalists, sports people. Doctors, teachers, social workers were still respected. Some of them migrated to politics, won elections. But our world without villains had changed forever.

Today we live in a world where villains are everywhere. Politics has more than its share and even though everyone wants to be in politics, the reasons are different. Politics hardly offers nation building opportunities. It offers money, power, pelf. So do some other professions as well but politics is the shortest cut. That’s because at the heart of it lies all pervasive corruption. An honest politician today is as rare as the mountain quail that ornithologist Salim Ali spent his whole life searching for. When I began my life as a journalist, it was possible to expose a corrupt neta and see him sacked or punished. Today, if you expose a corrupt neta, you are more likely to get sacked yourself.

Then there are the other villains around us. Terrorists, extortionists, underworld syndicates, Maoists (often confused with the Naxalites of yore), the khaps who love to murder their own, suicide bombers fighting for lost causes, bigots who beat up young girls for drinking or wearing short dresses, fundamentalists constantly in search of new victims, regional groups who see other Indians as the enemy, book burners, art vandals, hackers, poachers who are wiping out entire animal species, corrupt Government officers, rogue policemen, environmental predators, fake drug manufacturers, the land mafia encroaching on public land in connivance with those who are supposed to protect it. The villains are everywhere, growing by the day. Where have the heroes gone? I often wonder. Where’s the India we once dreamt of?

Shoania

2010-04-03T02:24:00.000-07:00

Sania is getting married to Shoaib Malik. The media persons went into a tizzy to find out how the relationship started. But they have little time to dig the story, especially with short notice for marriage. They are busy covering the plethora of issues surrounding the wedding, cricket, tennis, Indo-Pak, visa, Dubai, who will become what, dance, song, mehndi. Everybody is joining, Pakistan Govt., tennis authorities from two nations, moral issues, societal issues, Bal Thackeray. For the first time in Sania’s career, tennis, mini-skirts and her pranky Tee quotes have taken a backseat. Just perception theories whether it’s a clean bowled or an ace, nobody can get a clue.

I believe they have taken a huge step for mankind. India and Pakistan talking politically in the garb of Afghanistan and United States of America, cannot achieve anything. It’s the people from two nations who can bring the change. India should continue to revisit its formalities for the so-called PEACE talks with Pakistan till the next generation arrives. The current generation carries the images of Partition, 1971 War, burnt houses of Hindus in Kashmir, against which it’s difficult to talk peace with anguish in the eyes. Either Pakistan will reach the fate of Afghanistan esp. with the complete access given to United States of America. The moment you give access to Americans, the story is over. In Pakistan, HOPE is despair.

Pakistani tennis authority stated, looking at the moral and societal values of Asians, Sania should play for Pakistan since her husband is from Pakistan. Perhaps for the first time, Pakistan is backing an Indian, fighting for and encouraging an Indian to be called a Pakistani. They would have responded the same had it been the case of Shoaib Malik marrying a Hindu. No …… No….. No……. I will not tread on the religious issues, right now its only about Indo-Pak, superstars and the sports.

Sania did hit the Ace when asked whom she would support India or Pakistan. Would always be cheering for India and supporting my husband for the hard work that he puts in. answered definitely in context to cricket, no political statements from sportpersons. Ayesha angle perhaps has been brought in to deviate the media, consulates and diplomats away from the main point of contention. It’s like American rugby player marrying a Russian gymnast in the Cold War period, read one of my friend’s status messages on Facebook.

The masterstroke is settling in Dubai. After all neutral venue has always been chosen for hosting matches between India and Pakistan. I wish the two LUCK and future ahead. Hope India and Pakistan can take a lesson from the love of two sportsperson. Or perhaps neutral venue will be the solution for India and Pakistan. Till then, we wish to explore the possibility of deriving something like Shoania for India and Pakistan.

Live-in CHILD

2010-03-25T04:38:00.000-07:00

Supreme Court will change the Indian social landscape. Steven and Stephen illustrated in their book Freakonomics, Michigan (or some other state) has less number of crimes because of the legalization of abortion for teenagers in 1970s (due to which there were less number of orphans). Our politicians will keep mud slinging on each other, over women reservations, dalits, temples, mosques, elephants, parks, names to be dedicated, without trying to look at the social fabric and taking the nation away from its old parochial systems.

Picture: (Maybe John and Bipasha are the icons of live-in relationship)

Supreme Court was loud and clear in the case of actress Khushboo. Article 21 of Constitution gives Right to Life, Fundamental Right. Two adults can stay together under one roof without any (registered) relationship, as they wish to. The Court’s lambasted the system for taking complaints against the actress, for her remarks on pre-marital relationship. We are not talking about morality or principles. It’s an individual’s choice, whether to marry or live-in. “Lord Krishna and Radha lived together”, the Court stated.

The Law needs to incorporate these changes and perhaps move a step forward towards registration of live-in relationships. Long live-in relationships as good as marriage was ruled in another ruling. Of course, this path was taken when the relationship lead to reproduction. But now, the case of reproduction has taken us to the next level. Why is it that a man and a woman require a stamp to prove their relationship? Perhaps for the following.

A man is denying his alleged relationship with his live-in partner with whom after living for years together and a baby, he denies any role in reproduction of the baby. What is the fault of the little angel for the choices, two individuals make in their life? Or perhaps realizes he was born by mistake. The female wants compensation from her man for the upkeep of the child. I hope Supreme Court will more likely rule in the lady’s favour.

Shouldn’t such men be ostracized from the society?

Women have choices under such circumstances. Whether to dump the man or accept him?

What Priety Zinta portrayed in movie, Kya Kehna in early 2000 is seeking society’s acceptance and demands not be banished but to be appreciated.

In my teens, after watching movie, I repeated the movie promotions to everybody, “kya app sochte hai, priya (Priety’s protagonist in the movie) ne jo kiya, woh theek kiya” (You believe what Priyadid was right). Most of the people wore an astonished expression. And then would smile/laugh at the stupid question of the youngster. But the question is there and we should have an answer for the question, whether we get or do not get into such kind of situation?

When our economy is growing, our society should also grow, to result in overall Development of the Nation.

The answer, do watch the movie?

As for the case, asking and taking the compensation is the most important aspect. Whether or not to use the money is the woman’s choice.

I am living my dream

2010-03-18T04:39:00.000-07:00

How many of us get to say, “I am living my dream” in our lifetime. Sachin Tendulkar quoted in one of his recent numerous press meets, after hitting the score of 200 in an ODI. This IPL season is further adding to his already impeccable and unachievable records. There are hardly any records left in international Cricket which he has not scaled, when it comes to batting. Nobody talks about his 150 odd wickets, which are not a mean achievement. There are hardly any bowlers in our current Indian cricket team with 150 wickets under their cap (may be Bhajji or Zaheer).

“I wanted to play cricket whole-heartedly for the country. I am living my dream and have played with two-three generations. I wanted to be a special member of the team and I have done it,” Sachin.

Its no mean achievement to scale the heights which Tendulkar has reached. ICC has announced World Cricket Day as the day when Sachin Tendulkar was born. This is one thing, I wish to achieve in my lifetime, some road, gully, nukkad, street, award to be named after my name. I hope, I wish, I am able to. Every road, street, gully, nukkad, nullah is named after some person or perhaps the characteristic of the place. But most of them are named after the dead, Sachin has achieved it, when he is alive and kicking.

Now he is waiting for his triple century in Test cricket or perhaps may hit 100 in 20-20 even, looking at his current form. The best part of Sachin and the irony of his profession, as you grow old, gain experience, you ability to deliver starts declining after a particular stage. But he is perpetually in growth stage. A decade in International cricket means you have lived your lifetime. But this man, he has already crossed two.

In the past two months, he has been compared to every possible conceivable cricketing great or legend in the world history. But comparisons are frivolous, every era has its own heroes with its own style and achievements. Earlier they were fiery bowlers like Marshall, Walsh, Ambrose, who were always looking for prey. Now, cricket is more of a batsman’s game with little meat for bowlers. No harm to Sachin, Sachin would have been exceptional under other circumstances too.

Every other person, appealed in the press for Bharat Ratna Award for Sachin Tendulkar. Whether he gets the award or not, he is truly the Bharat Ratna. But most of all, a man who is living his dream.

Sweet Nothingness of Life

2010-03-17T02:42:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday, when I visited home, my father and one of his old friend were happy and content with the life they have led. I always believe, we should be seeking contentment and not happiness, happiness is one of the emotion that we feel from a range of emotions across different stages and periods of our life. If you run after happiness, you will never get it; in fact, it will keep running away from you. Happiness or being happy lies in the moment. Thinking ahead, will I able to achieve the same level of gratification from my life when I grow old like my father. I am doubtful. Our lifestyle gives us barely the time for ourselves. Boss, office, clients, colleagues and if something is left, cellphone eats that time and a little time for that special person (girlfriend, wife, whosoever).

Coming back, our parents don’t approve of the express life their children are leading. But then they can only complain? As my father says, “I always tried to teach you good values and the education you wanted. Now it’s your choice, how you make the best use of them?” I am extremely thankful to my father for all the beautiful things and experiences (even distasteful experiences were necessary (like to know the sweetness, we must understand bitter first) for the process of growing up). Majorly, he didn’t force me to become doctor. Like living in a Govt. colony amongst doctors, every person is obsessed with their children becoming doctors. At the same time, I’d say, my father may not feel proud for his son, especially for the fact when I have broken almost all the values that he had taught. Somehow or the other, I have always landed up in the soup of things and experienced all the legal, not so legal and illegal things in my life, which any sane person may not testify.

No I don’t want to thank my mum or my dad. We cannot thank our parents, which is too selfish from our end. Instead we should nurture our relationship further with our parents by caring and try to love them back as much as they did when we were tiny tots.

Flamboyance at its BEST

2010-03-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

Vijay Mallya is known for his flamboyance and style. If you have got money, you gotta enjoy life and flaunt it, exploit people. So true, I am completely gasped by this man and his style and would never condemn any of the practices that he follows. So much so, Vijay Mallya is the generalized term of flamboyance and style, for the way he lives and parties. Many can only aspire to live that kind of lifestyle.

If you feel and think, Vijay Mallya is, think for a moment again and the other name which comes is Mayawati. MAYAWATI……!!!!!!! #$%%^&*@? ?????
Yes, our very own Behanji, didi and mata for many homeless, destitute, lower class people of Uttar Pradesh. OK, well not in the same manner. Or some may say, the parallel drawn is not too interesting. We are talking about flamboyance.

Mayawati surely gives Mr. Vijay Mallya, a huge competition for turning his position in flamboyance. She is extremely flamboyant and classy when it comes to honoring dates of her party (Elephant, Bahujan Samaj Party) and the dead people of her party and herself. Mayawati’s birthday, her party’s founding, winning, losing day (God knows which all days are celebrated), Kanshi Ram’s birthday, death day, AMbedkar’s birthday or whichever way she feels.

Every time, the Opposition raises hue and cry over her flamboyance, which they say is unacceptable. Because she celebrates on public money. Everybody can splurge with his/her money, but to do it in style with the State exchequer is the highlighting factor of Mayawati.

Better part is not the celebrations, but the unveiling of new standing monuments of Elephants, Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram, Mayawati. Mayawati’s birth date is celebrated as Swabhimaan (Self-respect) diwas for the sake of all oppressed classes. How much self respect they have achieved ever since Mayawati has been in power? Or better I’d say the Oppressed are still the Opressed under the Oppressed. Oppressed has no relation to the economic status but to the tag they carry of their DALIT caste.

The whole State machinery is moved back and forth for her celebrations. We have heard it all, the statues of Ambedkar, Maya and Elephants, the parks for them, ladoos (which consume enough raw material to feed the entire India for a day), PWD officials working overtime, stage, Mughal-e-Azam sets, her penchant for diamonds, Developmental money coming in trunks, 25,000, 50,000 or 1,00,000 odd people celebrating for the occasion.

This time, it was above it all, I was surprised to look at the elegant and beautiful shape of flowers of her garland, which when opened can wrap the whole of Uttar Pradesh or the money spent on garland can help in constructing 100 elephants (on the conservative side). You look carefully and the garland has been made from 1000 Rupee Notes. Clearly hats off to Mayawati, in the times, when people are thinking about making love to save condom costs and the Govt. is preaching austerity (of course Govt. and Mayawati are in Opposition), but who cares.

Who preaches and who listens? As a famous researcher once said, “God exists, you arrive in UP/Bihar and you realize, yes certainly God does exist”.
As for our didi, she is guided by the Constitution of India, written by Ambedkar,
to the people,
for the people and
by the people.

F1 - do watch - IPL

2010-03-12T04:47:00.000-08:00

“Manoranjan Ka Baap” is back in town! The carnival of cricket begins today. So get ready to drench in streams of fours and sixes for next 44 days. Such grand openings are generally observed for World Cup’s (any sport) but not on annual events. Akon, UB 40, Lionel Richie, Deepika Padukone will be performing for the event. No event ever (be it any other sport, politics, green earth, rape, murder, Bollywood, even other forms of cricket – ODI, Test Cricket) in India has been showered with such publicity or broadcasted across such wide range of medium.

Everybody knows that cricket’s most popular event is as much about entertainment and marketing as the sport itself, if not more. The eight IPL team captains will take an oath to respect their opponents, their teams and their umpires and sign a globe made of recyclable material to demonstrate their commitment to reduce the tournament's carbon footprint as a part of IPL’s association with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). UN will also cover IPL. And there will be brands, more than a hundred, fighting for consumer’s attention through different media, from television to the Internet to even live streaming in multiplexes.

Official IPL broadcaster SET Max is expected to take away more than 30% of the total TV ad spends in March and April when advertisers are estimated to spend around Rs 1,600 crore. SET Max will be laughing its way to the bank with all their costs and expenditure for the entire year will be recovered in 44 days, beginning March 12^th till April 25^th 2010.

“The kind of innovation in branding and sponsorship deals that have taken place this season has almost doubled the brand equity of IPL,” says Indranil Das Blah, former vice-president, Globosport India. The Google deal for live streaming of matches on YouTube, Indiagames as IPL gaming partner, Karbonn Mobiles' association as official mobile phone & title sponsor for parties post matches, ‘IPL Nights’ on MTV, special IPL shows on Colors and merchandising deal with Swiss watchmaker Bandelier are a few examples of the new branding initiatives.

In addition all the franchises are jumping in with their merchandise, t-shirts, caps, bandanas, head bands, bracelets, cricket merchandise, logos, broaches, chains, lockets and what not. The clubs are being built and soon there will be restaurant’s and pubs from franchise owners. In Europe, the organizers ran the promotional campaign. Don’t buy things manufactured during the season. They are all faulty as everybody is busy watching football. The same level of phenomena, will perhaps be witnessed. Bollywood celebrities are generally without work in IPL season and will be seen waving flags for different franchises. There are hardly any movie releases during the season. I guess, there’ll be more Bollywood celebrities than players on the venue. This time, even multiplexes will be showcasing matches, who would presume a movie.

Yes, it’s a bonanza for cricket lovers. Vijay Mallya is the happiest, the consumption of beer shoots during the IPL season. All said and done, I’d say skip the IPL match on Sunday and do watch the Bahrain GP, one of the challenging races in F1 circuit since past 15 years. Perhaps till next year or may be a year after that, F1 remains one of the costliest sports on this planet.

There have been rare or none occasions in the past when there were four teams neck to neck fighting for the title. With each posing the equal risk to the other. Closing 90’s and opening 2000’s, all the walls were painted with red colour by one name, “Michael Schumacher”. Even if somebody did succeed in posing some challenge to Schumi (as Michael is dotingly referred to), there would be a race between two.

Now after renouncing his world, Michael Schumacher is back after three year long hiatus on racing circuit under Mercedes with silver dress shedding his trademark red colour of Ferrari. Ferrari is pitching Massa and Alonso (thought to be best F1 driver these days), who had posed some serious challenge to Schumacher in his recent races. Hamilton is the man to watch from McLaren and the dashing duo of Red Bulls will be vouching for the title.

To add to the excitement, the change in rules forbid the fuel refilling for pole position holders. To add to the persistence, patience, technique, knowledge, understanding, cool head, the restraint of resources has been brought in this race. The diversity of their experience, of their age groups adds to the adrenaline rush. Alonso and Hamilton have worked as teamed together in their earlier races. But now the roles, the sides, the conditions have changed. Lets see who holds the forte on 14^th of March 2010. Do hold your seatbelts and drop your bats?

Reserved for whom?

2010-03-11T02:43:00.000-08:00

A lot is being said and written about women, women who fought terrorists, who escaped domestic violence, who saved a toddler, who are businesswoman, making style statement, powerful woman. The idea of secular, republic and democratic India is taking shape for the first time since independence. Irrespective of sex, caste, creed, religion. We are yet to start baby steps in the other three, but firstly the sex seems to be gaining some importance. Especially after all the ballyhoo on 33% reservation for women, when we are preaching equality, the Women’s Reservation Bill on International Woman’s Day.

I know it is difficult for any man to understand what it takes to be a woman. Does it solve our issues or helps in abstaining our responsibilities by dedicating and celebrating one day in the name of woman? Pillars, symbols, parades, day’s definitely help in some way or the other. Though every day is woman’s day. A woman commands and must get respect in her home, workplaces and wherever she decides to go. The day is not far when men will be struggling for their rights.

Now getting back to the whole drama of getting the Woman’s Reservation Bill across the river. Putting things into ink and accepting it in spirit is a different ball game altogether. But then it should not be the reason for not inking in future. The whole script which ran during the process has taught many lessons.

Women from all parties joined hands after their feat on 9^th March 2010. The whole fracas is not for women’s reservation. But the battle is the build up for the War. Guess, we could comprehend, and hope it is for the better. In India, when Parliamentarians lock their horns, it is never over an issue, it is for something which serves their own/personal (can be read as party or staying in power) larger interests (read as of no use to so

ciety).

Ten/twenty years down the line, I hope I may not be running for getting my children a fake certificate under some privileged (read reserved like SC/ST. OBC, minority) category because over a period of time, we would realize there are hardly any seats left for general category. I may carry fear revealing my GENERAL category status.

But still, the optimistic will say, the structure of Reservations is changing and may undergo a complete overhaul in the coming decade. But it is here to stay. Yes, we have to not only live but die with it. All the politicians can fight for is percentage and not for abolishment of five years scheme from Nehru and Gandhi.

The perpetrators carrying the flame of under privileged categories are concerned that woman’s reservation will skew the proportion of Reservation of Dalits, OBCs. It is indeed a nice thought. Woman’s reservation will definitely eat the share from Dalits, OBCs and they hope to preserve the loss from Dalits to female Dalits. The point Yadav’s (Sharad – Lalu - Mulayam) made and over which they ransacked the Chair of Rajya Sabha (aka Vice President of India). 2-4% members aggressive gesture stalled the proceedings of the House. But the good part was the consensus of the House to 85 – 90%, fifteen years after the idea of Women’s Reservation was first raised in the Legislature. The Reserved Category is already addressing the needs/problems of SC, STs, OBCs (the most important and the biggest), Muslims, other minorities, freedom fighter, sports, North-East region, Jammu & Kashmir Category, Armed Forces, Border Forces, Underprivileged (destitutes, lost limbs), etc. etc. Of course, all of them are not found in all the reservations but yes then for different examinations, nominations, elections, selections, all such kinds of reservations are taken into consideration. However, the woman’s reservation only talks about this in legislature; Lok Sabha, State Assemblies, district bodies, local and civic bodies and Panchayats.

The Woman’s reservation is commitment from a foreign lady towards the Indian people. Congress did prove its mantle and they are capable of handling and making tough decisions, which previously they lacked and were always blackmailed by its political allies. This time, they said, Yes, we will talk about numbers but first the issue. The issue or the numbers, whichever comes first, the second loses the importance by the time, its turn comes.

But the way Yadav’s are suggesting the Bill to be drafted and desgined, it will become extremely difficult to segregate, allocate seats, issues. But may bring clarity at the same time.

To give a broad idea about the whole structure, currently out of 543 seats in Lok Sabha, 181 will be allocated for women. Out of this 181, 37.5% will go to SC/ST, OBCs woman candidates, 9.5% for Muslim woman candidates, 4% for some other type of woman candidates and hopefully 50% of it will be preserved for general category woman candidates. Quota within quota?

Until then, we can continuously shout the slogan with Mamta-di (Chief and Railway Minister) and Trinamool Congress members, were seen singing the famous song -- "We shall overcome some day".

Road to Shaadi

2010-03-08T23:20:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, everybody asked me, “what do you want to become in life?” I’d reply flashing my teeth, “papa”. Like every child, whose role models are his parents, I was way too flattered and excited at the authority my father commanded at home and in his professional life. Now 20 years hence -

Turning 25, 26 or 27 or perhaps 28, 29, 30, for those who are left out, is a vulnerable stage of your life, every single person you meet asks the same question, “SHAADI”. I sheepishly smile and question, “kiski”. The other person laughs and replies, “aapki”. I really enjoy such conversations wherein we turn the sides of the tables. Luckily I have a genuine excuse to evade such sorry queries, my elder brother is yet to get married, and I still have some time on my side. Why can’t we begin our conversations, with are you enjoying your life, your job, or are you trying to do something else in life? After marriage, the practical transition of question will be, “kids”, we do discuss and we do talk about it with our friends, relatives, colleagues, but I feel certain awkwardness about the same. Why can’t we let the other do, what he/she wants in life and when he/she wants? We need not force everybody through the same organic process of human existence. Actually, when everybody questions the same thing about your life, you are compelled, forced and pushed to the corner?

Now getting back to the whole Shaadi affair, our generation is sitting at crossroads and stuck between the older and the next generation of societal rules, rules which are broken but not shattered and rules which are yet in conception stage. Either we should be forced to marry with the boy/girl of our parents’ choice (like our parents did) or be allowed to decide the path of life on our own, wherein we hope to find somebody with whom we can share our life. Shaadi should be sharing our lives and not spending our lives. Don’t you feel, spending sounds burdensome?

While talking about the shaadi affair? If somebody says YES, I am in the process, then the next question, “How many?” Most of my friends have run through a dozen proposals. If the friend is a female, then it is two dozen or closer. Perhaps for the betterment of the society, men are facing more rejections these days than women.

To find a suitable person, those who feel, that yes we are in love and ready to respect and accept the responsibility of marriage, things are pretty easier for them, even convincing parents, if they are dead against the fact? This was hard part for Mr. Bhagat, but that is history.

Our parents are searching for a girl, who is educated (masters even if the son is matriculate), good looking (fair in complexion), knows cooking (dal, roti), wears jeans (rarely) and Indian wear with élan, and we are looking somebody who is smart (does not mean to be fair), intelligent (education helps but not the pre-requisite), working (maybe a diploma in fashion designing) or maybe wear a skirt, at times. Expectation mismatch from one person, how do we expect so much from a female? Ask the guy and his family, what are you willing to bring on the table.

If they are seeking a groom, he should be well educated (bachelors means highly educated), earning well (legal or illegal means), good looking (which is defined by his earnings), with strong values (no drinking or smoking) and the girl expects better educated than her, decent earning (respectable), handsome (this is controversial), good values (social drinking is fine). Again the definitions for the same person go for a toss.

The best part is parents’ like to seek their children’s consent for the same. It’s difficult to find the parents’ and children’s on the same plank or rather almost seems impossible to bring on the same plank. So that is why, things start working/moving after crossing the minimum number of 12/24 or whatever.

Here comes the harder part, young, single, independent, have been through flings, strings, affairs or maybe heart breaks, it is the same for both sexes. We all have been through our share, every person whom we meet adds to us as a human being, as a person. As we move ahead, we keep on adding the items to the ‘YES’ and ‘NO’ list for our marriage/life partner. Particularly in case of women, they have a very clear list of “NOT’s”. The hard part is always along the way, we fall in and out of love and then hunt for the same love, which is the recipe for disaster and the whole range of invariable human emotions that comes with this process of finding the right person.

I’d still say, enjoy the process with the hope, we are destined for the best.

Till then, “IN THE PROCESS” status may help.

'Semi Boyfriend' or DTR

2010-03-06T03:44:00.000-08:00

Reproduced from www.timesofindia.com
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/relationships/man-woman/Semi-boyfriend-DTR-/articleshow/5568943.cms

It's that time of the year. Love is in the air, on the cards, in your face, everywhere. Except where it's meant to be. Going by the lingo that's popular these days, that crazy lil' thing called love is all set to be e-dumped ...

IT'S COMPLICATED

When butterflies flutter in two stomachs and even friendly high fives send electric shocks to the heart, how does one explain the status when there is no official acknowledgement or exchange of the L-word ?

The creators of Facebook should be given a medal for pioneering a clever answer to this perplexing question: It's Complicated. The best part is that it's open-ended and can take any meaning you'd like it to take. In fact, it's probably more versatile than Naseeruddin Shah. Not only can it articulate the ambiguous state between friendship and being in a relationship, it can also be used to indicate that a relationship is in the gutter. For some pathetic relationship addicts, it's a perfect cover when they're afraid of being called single.

SEMI-BOYFRIEND /GIRLFRIEND

This relationship status is based on Newton's first law of inertia. It is usually used to denote a potential girlfriend or boyfriend. The potential could have risen from one-sided love and, in some cases, two-sided lust. The semi-boyfriend / girlfriend could be a great friend who you care about, but are not horribly attracted to. It's not unimaginable to see yourself with the semi-boyfriend /girlfriend. It's a stage defined by contemplation, where you're constantly in two minds. "He's a lovely person but might not be the one, she's a great girl but I might look better with someone hotter." Experts say that if this stage exceeds its trial period, there is danger of it never ending.

DTR (DEFINE THE RELATIONSHIP)

DTR is the dream of every smitten semiboyfriend /girlfriend. It's when cuddly movies and cosy dinners are interrupted by 'the conversation' . It's usually a loaded exercise of compartmentalisation. Are we friends? Are we friends with benefits? Or are we seeing each other? The idea is to provide clarity on the relationship status and especially on the issue of monogamy. DTR could sneak up on you anywhere: in the parking lot, in a packed party and even a movie theatre. Experts say that the highest number of instances have been recorded at sit-down dinners. There's nothing romantic about it, it's pure negotiation.

GOING UNSTEADY

Back in the 1990s, 'going steady' was a wideeyed expression to suggest that two people were seeing each other. The fact that the college stud mostly rode a bike gave it all the more legitimacy. Some mummies and aunties still love to sprinkle gossip with 'going steady' .

But we are now in 2010 and you're more likely to hear 'Going Unsteady' . It's the logical opposite of 'going steady' , and translates into a relationship being on the rocks and is usually the sequel to 'It's Complicated' . It's an announcement of the possibility of opening up to other options to make sure that the exboyfriend and ex-girlfriend are on their toes.

SHE'S HYPHENATED

How does one tell whether a woman is single or married? No need to rudely stare at her chest in search of a mangalsutra or grab her hand to check if she's wearing a ring. Just ask her name. Gitanjali Shah-Chopra ? Dude, she's hyphenated. Time to make a run for the nearest door. More and more married women today love to add a double barrel in their names: name, maiden surname-husband's surname. The noble cause behind the widespread hyper hyphenation is to not lose one's maiden individuality, but it's also doubling up as a handy tool for ring detection.

NEAR-SIGHTED DATE

When the search for a soulmate went virtual, the erstwhile blind date was elbowed out by the nearsighted date. Now prospective lovers would rather spend time enlarging thumbnail display pictures than rely on imagination and God's grace. When two people who have been flirting online finally meet face to face, the guy doesn't need to be wearing a red tie to be spotted in the crowd and the girl can also leave her red dress at home. But even if the intention is to induce the love bug, several near-sighted daters have reported that it could lead to disappointment because of misleading documentation. In one case, the profile picture of a near-sighter was three years younger, 10 kg less and five hair colours old.

E-DUMP

This new-age phenomenon usually follows a nearsighted date gone wrong. Flirting is brought to an abrupt halt, suddenly the exnear-sighter is repulsive. That's when one ping is employed to pull the flush on the relationship. Sometimes, e-dump can also be expanded to include text messages.

Those who have been e-dumped say that this is the worst kind of dumping and e-dumpers don't have the courage to dump face-to-face and are afraid of confrontation. But several e-dumpers say that it's the simplest way to pull the plug on an unwanted relationship because it's simple, quick and doesn't involve tears.

ATTENTION WHORE

The Attention Whore is like the plague, can often spread through exposure to a contaminated person. Symptoms include being uncomfortable in situations where one is not the centre of attention, inappropriate sexual behaviour, bipolar display of emotions, self-dramatisation , animated expressions and considering relationships to be more intimate than they actually are.

In the online world, the status message is an important weapon of mass destruction and in the offline world, tools like physical intrusions into parallel conversations are commonly employed. Beware! The Attention Whore steps her game up in the run-up to Valentine's Day.

ENRAGEMENT RING

The enragement ring is a piece of jewellery, typically a ring, that is purchased for a girlfriend in an effort to make her happy after an ugly fight. It's whipped out when animosity is at its peak. It's produced when sweet gestures have been scoffed at and phone calls rudely cut. It's used when the only hope to salvage the situation is the enragement ring. Sometimes the enragement ring is embossed with a witty or snappy personal message. Enragement ring addicts swear that it works like a charm but the key is to not use it too often.

BUSINESS SHOWER

When you're married, employed and late for work, take a shower with your partner. This is not a recipe to get fired but just another byproduct in the age of DINKs. The business shower is about saving time (and water) and is entirely devoid of any sexual connotation. Two people zip into the bathroom, do their deal and zip out with equal ease and casualness. Romance can be kept on hold because a man's got to do what a man's got to do and a working woman's got to do the same.

Made in India/Sent from India

2010-03-04T03:45:00.000-08:00

Japanese invent a wire, which is visible when zoomed by thousand million times under a microscope. Japanese sends the wire to Russians; Russians punched two holes into the wire. Americans received the wire from Russians and put screws into the holes and dispatched the wire to India. India after thinking hard over it, figured out, “let’s put the stamp of Made in India”.

Here we are talking about a joke, depicting the creative and scientific prolific levels of India and its public. India has been a land of superachievers, dreamers, sleepers, brainers, inventors, discoverers with the caveat. Yet we never try to harness our potential and instead trying to figure out the eventualities of sticking the Made in India label. Do we need to tell the world about Made in India or be shunned like China and forced to label, Assembled in China.

India is traditionally a conservative nation and economy. That’s why we can count our superachievers on fingers. Its not a magical figure or much boasting about our Indian brains and upbringing. A billion people considered to be richer in glory, history, culture, brain have little to show than the Made in India tag. Yes, we do know that in itself is an achievement.

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan was the winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009. He was humble and able to acknowledge his alma mater in India and his Indian upbringing. But the fact is he was part of the brain drain, as we prefer to refer it. The brain drain process enabled him to win a Nobel Prize. Har Gobind Khorana (won Nobel Prize in 1968) openly digressed his Indian roots and would talk about his frustration of not being allowed to perform experiments as Professor in Chandigarh. V.S. Naipaul is awarded Nobel Prize, he is PIO (People of Indian Origin) and given a dual citizenship after achieving the laurels globally.

Do we recognize talent only after the world applauds? Do we possess the sensibility to stick Made in India label is a question to be asked? At the same time, when we have dreamers, achievers, we are shunning them. Salman Rushdie (a Booker Prize Winner) exiled in America. It was another question in his case, as to prove the secularism and the solidarity of Hindus towards Muslims, it was thought in best interests to ostracize Rushdie, himself a Muslim for his views on Muslims.

Now India has proved to the world its secular culture and democratic attitude. So why has M F Hussain been living in exile in Middle East and embraced the citizenship of Qatar. Why India as a nation fails to provide protection, ironical, when it likes to take all the names Indian, who have made India proud by their hardworking and dedicated attitude working/researching abroad?

Our very own Indian Picasso is living in exile in Qatar and has now embraced the citizenship of Qatar. Isn’t apathy on our end that our Picasso, in his nonagenarian stage of his life, is fighting for an identity? Some say countries are highly technical lines drawn on paper. I say, why don’t we talk about nations. A nation is a process, a thought process, an ideology, a sense and style of living. Some people say an artist knows no boundaries. Here we have trapped our secular mindset and unable to provide protection to an artist. A Govt. reserves the Right to perhaps BAN the work of an artist for hurting and inciting the community beliefs and sentiments. But then shunning them away, aren’t we encouraging Talibanization of our freedom and secularism.

The only consolation that we Indians can provide to Hussain is protection to his ART after his dies. I am anticipating something of this will happen after he dies. Like Hussain says, forget providing protection to me, they can’t even protect my art. A road, a by-lane, a memorial, an art gallery will be named after him after he dies. That is how we refer to the process of making of a nation and the label, “MADE IN INDIA” or “SENT FROM INDIA”.

One of the Controversial paintings of M.F. Hussain.
A nude woman spread over the map of India (in red colour)
Perhaps he wishes to say, India is on fire and bleeding and we have a nude woman guarding us. Do we need protection from this nude woman, who is herself looking for cover?
It may mean something derogatory as protestors had anticipated.

The real issue erupted due to the above painting or I’d say the label. We have Khajuraho, we have Kama Sutra, our Gods and Goddesses, married, remarried, as they said sambhog is the most essential element for the existence of a human being. Nudity is not about good or bad, it’s just these days; we have such lovely and wonderful clothes/accessories, that nudity is being referred to as a taboo. In Stone Age, Aryan or whatever, our Gods only had animal skins or some metal objects to cover their bodies.

BUDGET - 2010

2010-02-26T04:54:00.000-08:00

Budget definitely takes much of the news and newspaper section leaving little room for abused, drugged, raped, abducted and murdered Indians. Such is the phenomena or the euphoria created around the Budget. Over the past few years, Budget just became an annual exercise esp. in this era of coalition politics, when the Govts’ purposely kept the important decisions outside the preview of the Budget and made it merely a Profit & Loss Statement than an Annual Report.

The only Budget that financial pundits remember or would like to think are 1991 Manmohan Singh Budget, 1998 PC Budget and of course, Yashwant Sinha from BJP had been the cynosure for drawing flak from all the six corners of India. The lackluster annual exercise by Pranabda during last year, the analysts and experts had not built any hopes. Will this Budget be remembered for the staged walk out by the Opposition from Lok Sabha, perhaps first or something else? I really liked the fiery style of Sushma Swaraj and her command over Hindi and the way she made her points. As the saying goes, success honours you and destroys you at the same time. She is currently redressing to the later part of the saying. The Opposition walked over one rupee rise in oil prices. It will add to the woes of the inflationary pressures. But then market expected to rise by few rupees, so it was still a breather. Moreover the Govt. should always be thinking in favour of OMCs (Oil Marketing Companies).

Yes the food inflation and food security is one of the biggest concerns for India of today and will remain tomorrow and not the growth or the GDP. 60% of our economy or India is dependent on agriculture, yet we are not in a pitiable state either. If your battered vehicle cannot give improved mileage, then we reduce the amount of petrol which goes into running the engine. But our Govt. has tried to undertake something better. They have increased the tax slabs for individuals, which in other words, increases the real income in our hands.

But this Budget is perhaps one amongst the best with the caveats, Coalition Govt. and the Financial Crisis. The Govt. has been juggling with the lower demand of products and services, lower exports, rising inflation, rising fiscal deficit and to top it all, they had slashed tax rates, duties, cess’ applicable on sundry and all and sacrificing income, still they are able to lower the fiscal deficit and feed the poor developed or perhaps poorly managed schemes for the poor. I liked the renewed focus on Agriculture to bring something positive in this space. Hope they are able to pull this off. Because in India, all the good things are virtue of our politicians and all the bad things are blamed on the monsoon.

The FM made a point throughout his Budget speech to usher in a process of inclusive growth. The inclusive growth can be achieved by bringing the economy back on growth path with GDP of 9 % per annum and to take the government back on the path of fiscal consolidation.

Private players will be issued Bank Licenses. In 2002, RBI cleared few licenses and now after a long lull they will be issuing licenses. Reliance (non-reliable) Bank, Singh (Religare) Bank, Birla Bank, Modi Bank, India (IndiaBulls) Bank some of the leading financial services/NBFC conglomerates will be vouching for that slot. As a consumer, it will become more harassing to entertain few more useless marketing calls from few more useless service providers. At the same time, I hope something better from these new-age industrialized houses to better the customer experience.

Direct Tax Code, General Sales Tax Regime may become a reality for FY 2011-12.

Markets cheered and roared for Pranabda’s efforts which touched an intra-day high of 350-400 points (2 %) at the conclusion of Budget speech and still managed to close at 175 points (1 %) in positive.

With the hope to leapfrog the growth rate of Indian economy in double digits, Pranabda concluded the Budget 2010-11.

Tendulkar @ 200

2010-02-25T04:16:00.001-08:00

Law and Justice

2010-02-25T02:21:00.001-08:00

Justice truly changes the social fabric the way we live, trade, societal, marital status. Law and Justice, make a nation. Otherwise we are just a piece of mark on paper like Iraq. Gone are the days when the rich and powerful twisted the law with their hand fists. Now India is an emerging economy. Besides economy the rules and forces governing the traditional rules of money lending, social strata are transforming and shedding its archaic practices.

Last week, there were different Judgements taking about family, business and politics. One talks about the change in banking system, the second questions talks about identity after divorce and the third one, SC seeks advice to define and categorize the political activities.

………..

Giving a body blow to banks, Banks cannot prosecute borrowers under the stringent anti-cheque bouncing laws if blank post-dated cheques issued by them as collateral security are dishonoured.

“Law-makers must not have intended or imagined that money lenders or banks would obtain blank or post-dated cheques while sanctioning/disbursing loans as securities and would use them to make debtors/borrowers repay the loan under threat of prosecution and punishment (under the cheque-bouncing law),” added the judge.

It is a very significant right granted to a consumer. I have worked in financial services industry. The personnel in the industry are extremely hard working and design some of the most intelligent products in the market (amongst all the other consumer goods, products and services) and possess the expertise to sell them but not in servicing or redressing the monsters they themselves produce. Account holders at times, are themselves not aware for what they are paying and how much they are getting.

……….

Name is the identity of the human being and at times, it testifies as a symbol, process, era, dynasty, profession, discovery, evolution, theory, science, knowledge. But we are talking about the case of normal human beings, whose only identity is the name and not some mumbo-jumbo besides the name. A human being is named by his parents, relatives or siblings and the surname, which describes the broader essentials of our surroundings, the place where we belong to, our history, our caste (more importantly in India), our food, our habits, maybe even our desires or the broader characteristics of a human being.

We transform or undergo, maybe once, none or several times in our lifetime. A woman suffixes another surname to her name after marriage. I somehow feel it’s parochial to change the name. We may get over this practice till next generation evolves or by the turn of this century, who knows. The past forty years have been witness, when the whole World has undergone transformation in such a tremendous way. We have broken all the practices, rituals, customs, traditions, myths and dogmas created in our society.

Mumbai High Court has hinted something in that context, which may break our present rules of the societal fabric. A female cannot her husband’s name after divorce.

“By using the ex-husband's name or surname, there is always a possibility of people being misled that she is still the wife, when in fact she is not,”' said Vachha (the Judge). The HC upheld the family court order and said it need not be interfered with but should be given effect to “for all purposes”.

………..

Once I declared in my school class, that I want to become politician. Next day, my parents were summoned by the school to discuss the serious trouble with this child, when everybody is talking about becoming doctor, lawyer, scientist, architect, etc. Why? My teacher reasoned, politician is not a profession, neither a job nor a business. It is taken by the powerful and ruffians. I reasoned it is a profession, except its rules are still to be penned into a book. A job to create more jobs and a business to give and take more out of other businesses. Guess what? She felt this child has ruined all she had taught and may carry few more in that ditch with him.

Mayawati, the trademark owner of an elephant. The princess, rajkumari, Prime Minister, Chief Minister, a saviour, a politican, a dacoit, a diety, didi, behanji, whatever you may call her, there will be millions in UP worshiping or look upto her in every form. It is not a small thing. It only takes the brave and the intelligent to become politician. She was ready to auction Taj Mahal’s surroundings and hell one can just imagine what she can possibly do, perhaps she herself is not aware about. I just wish, if she can undertake few positive things.

SC also felt something like this, its not good to banter a seasoned and dynamic politician like her esp. after reprimanding the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, not one but several times, it hardly serves the purpose, but to seek opinion and rather build consensus from different Govt. authorities for her unscrupulous and nation destroying activities.

Mayawati is trying to immortalizing herself, the elephant and Ambedkar. Even if elephant becomes extinct like we are talking about tigers, we know we can give our children a life size replica of the animal at any Ambedkar Bhawan, any Mayawati Park, or some BSP related name in UP.

Perhaps, we can only hope that the apex Court is able to teach some lesson to the likes of Mayawati.

Loss would have been better

2010-02-23T06:16:00.000-08:00

Indian Cricket team will never learn from its past. They just made the precise point I had raised in my last blog. Did they deserve to win the Sunday’s match? Once you have thrown the match, then don’t chase it. South Africa deserved the win. Earlier 75 runs were required from 48 balls with 2 wickets remaining and cricket nuts were talking about 50 – 60 odd runs win for India. Only nine runs were required from final over to win the match. India should have done better. Getting your rank on the top on some sponsored ratings is not an achievement but an aberration. This match clearly indicates towards the malpractices in the game of cricket.

With practically no bowler who can help India to win a match. India’s current team is overweight on batsmen, if you win, it is because of batsmen and if you lose, batsmen just felt short of the responsibility to score in abundance. 50-50 is also following practices of 20-20. Zaheer and Harbhajan are injured and family commitments respectively and put on rest for the next tournament. The bowlers who made a difference for the Indian cricket team were Ravindra Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan, the make shift bowlers and to some extent, Praveen Kumar, did tell us, he is a bowler as compared to the other two duds (Sreesanth and Ashish Nehra). Runs matter in a limited over match, we just need to restrict the other side. Lets see how far this Team goes with their batting prowess and bowling disasters.

New Businesses, New Concepts, New Sports……. Why not a new SECURITY FORCE?

2010-02-22T22:04:00.000-08:00

A invests Rs. 1,00,000 in a new yet to be tried and tested business concept. A invests on the notion of its attractiveness but believes it to be a high risk business. One year down the line, B wishes to enter the same business as A, but there are entry/regulatory barriers or no licenses available for starting the same business. B talks to A and invests Rs. 20,000 for 10% stake in A’s business. One year after B invests in A, B’s holding value increases to Rs. 40,000.

Do we know about any other businesses better than the one mentioned above?

Such business is known as Indian Premier League (IPL) or IPL can also be termed as “Industrialists & Performers (Players) Lounge” (Cricketers are also performers, more so in 20-20 Cricket).

The case used above is that of Rajasthan Royals team owned by consortium of Emerging Media and Mr. Rupert Murdoch’s son, wherein they bought the team rights for $67 million in 2008 and sold 12% stake for $ 16.8 million to Shilpa Shetty and her beau Raj Kundra.

The entry barriers are high, esp. due to the regulatory barriers and licenses, in addition to the limited availability of seats/shops/slots. To acquire one license, we need to possess political clout, money at all times is important for any business plus the profile of the person who will run the business. Your employees are your brand managers, who possess more attitude than the owner and carry the status of demi-God. In addition you are always in media limelight, questioned on your business for which you possess little knowledge or perhaps have little control. There’s only a season or less than two months to harvest and sell and recover/make money. Yet there are so many contenders for two more licenses. Nobody imagined there would be such a fight for starting a business in liberalized era of Indian economy.

We have a wonderful business built over here, with ‘n’ number of brands and ‘n3’ number of human brands in the contest. The marketing and the buzz created around the event leaves everyone touched. The organizer leaves no stone unturned to hype the event with good news and all the controversies. Lifestyle, business and Sports section of the media are all busy covering the event. If the owner hugs or shakes hand with a participant (player) or makes a statement, it serves at least two sections of the media. Politics somehow happens and stays in the backyard. Politics can indeed break the space for all the other three.

Yet the most teething issue is the security.

Lalit Modi clearly know his work, I know he will pull it off. But for our country, are we better than this or much worse than this?

Australians have already been threatened by Bala Saheb due to the racial incidents on Indians in Australia. Its sad, ironical and satirical, that a political party, not in power, holds the rights to threaten foreigners visiting India for goodwill mission (I strongly believe sports is indeed a goodwill gesture) when they are targeting, bullying and killing North Indians living in Western part of India.

Now some pseudo terror Outfit or a specialist arm of Al-Qaeda is threatening to disrupt the ongoing Hockey World Cup and the hyped, glitzy and most glamorous event of cricketing world of 20-20, the IPL. The scare or threat is taken seriously in wake of the Pune blasts. Especially when America is pushing India to name Al-Qaeda behind the terror outfits operating in India for Pakistan purposes.

PC, our Hon’ble Home Minister is trying his best to convince the participants, that India is a safe country. Ricky Ponting is thinking, Shane Warne is ready to skip the event in lieu of the terrorist threats. America and Terror are the only two destructive elements left in this world. Terror, the word itself is enough, we need not define who, why, what, when and where?

IPL organizers are talking about base price of $225 million for obtaining Team Rights. Sharing of revenue from match collections, broadcasters and other ‘n’ number of modes of income. They perhaps need to create a terror pool for security, by reducing a small amount of proportion of sharing of the teams. Team owners are little jittery about providing security to their employees (players). Pakistan players are missing due to security reasons. SRK can tell better as even Pakistani players were appealing at the end of the day, it’s fine if we don’t play but stop bullying SRK.

Indian Govt. lost last year’s revenues from IPL due to security reasons. Providing security to useless politicians over players due to Elections. We had little forces available for promoting the event. I was saddened not because IPL was shifted or politicians were provided security over the event. But why our country was projected as such a vulnerable nation, which is unable to handle terror and envelop us with a blanket of security, even if it may not be by action but by words. A wise said, “If you cannot find peace at home, then peace does not exist for you and you cannot find it anywhere”.

Now the IPL, Home Ministry are trying and running to move every police personnel to protect the players. Perhaps that also seems to be pretty big a price for promoting sports or the event. We witnessed a sample at Jaipur match, there were hundreds of police personnel on ground for protection of 13 players on field at the end of the match. By the sheer number, we could comprehend how many were deputed at the stadium, hotel, airport; those places must have been enveloped by police security like fortresses. We manage to evade the terrorists of any attempts, but does it serve the purpose.

India has around two dozen Central Police and Central Paramilitary Forces besides Police and Army, Navy and Air Forces employing around 2.5 million. Each of them was created for a purpose over a period of time as demanded by the requirements of the country like Railway Protection Force (RPF) for Railways, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for protection of PSU’s. Delhi Metro stations under surveillance by CISF. Now the question arises whether the time has come for creation of another Police/Paramilitary Force for sports.

Last year bore the testament the current forces are not sufficient for protecting our nation. A Nation as the idea behind India is under attack. It’s not about cricket or IPL.

Lalit Modi may walk out of the event on March 10th 2010, if he so chooses.

But IPL has created something which makes India stand out and say to the world. After all, Pakistan always frowns upon all the statements India makes/states. A match between India and Pakistan is seen as a day in war. When Indian team visits Pakistan or vice-versa, it’s bigger than the heads of the State entering into a dialogue. But still Pakistani players snub their differences with India and don the hat of Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders or any other franchise of IPL for the love of the game as they say.

When a Comedian writes......

2010-02-19T06:54:00.000-08:00

Isn't it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate.

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you don't send this to at least 8 people....Who cares?

~George Carlin

Striker - A new Cinema

2010-02-17T03:50:00.000-08:00

Didn’t had anything to do last weekend. No girlfriend. Friends seem so far, thinking about the auto/taxis of Delhi. So had to give-in to my flatmate, who owns a car, Striker, I want to watch the movie without spending on it but ended up paying for him also. Siddharth, one of the reasons for watching the movie, I just fell in love with his attitude in RDB (Rang de Basanti). Couple of years, I had seen BOYS (Telegu Movie) of Siddharth, he was best with his naivety in the movie.

Besides, he takes up one project at a time or for record, one movie in a year. Not a perfectionist though (thank God), for the better only, but definitely tries to put his head in every aspect of his movie. The reviews of Striker suggested, the movie has a lot more meat than the posters or the trailors reveal.

Striker, breaks away from the whole concept of movies, as it is perceived in India. We have cinema, Yashraj, KJo types; parallel cinema; art movies; offbeat (though can be called as parallel) movies, same or different concepts for same or different people. Then there are people like Anurag Kashyap, Abhay Deol, Dibakar Banerjee, who are trying to redefine the definition of cinema, art, entertainment or perhaps may come up with a new term. Striker is a different experience from all these.

A story should have a purpose and a meaning. Striker has none. Like many Hollywood movies, it just narrates about an era in one of the many slums of Mumbai. The movie is set in 80’s with bhaigiri without cellphones against the backdrop of carom. Our common time-pass indoor game. The protagonist does not wish to achieve or change the world or came to put in order the whole lot of mess created by the director on celluloid, he was offered an opportunity and lucky to grab and achieved the desired results without getting head to head with the goons contrary to what happens in Bollywood movie.

Siddharth looks impeccable with his Bombaiya (oops Mumbaiya) dialect and the whole dressing style. We know all the characters of the movie, we have seen them, felt them or visualized them through the n number of flicks made on Mumbai crime, underworld, slums. But this one is different from the times as it introduces the carom board and the whole game of hide and seek ends with the real life dreaded incident of 1992 riots in Mumbai.

Means is important not the end

2010-02-12T03:15:00.000-08:00

On 9th, one of my friend's Facebook status read, “when was the last time, India lost by an Innings”. Indian team has never been consistently good, but recently we have been doing well as we had most of our matches in Asia or against minnows. It was way back in 2008, it’s a lot of time looking at the cricketing standards of the Indian Cricket Team. With the loss of this match, India’s position also dropped from the premier rankings chart in Test Cricket. The position should have dropped couple of ranks.

India aspires, oh sorry, they claim to be world class team. But the manner in which our team despises the whole theory. Recently they played against Bangladesh, they could have learnt something from them. Bangladesh had pushed such a fine struggle to save themselves from the misery, they didn’t allow Indian team to win by an innings. Sehwag and Gambhir came to crease in second innings for scoring three runs to win the second test match.

Suddenly everybody got up and started searching for VVS Laxman. I hope, Laxman denies to play at this time or may not be physically fit. Indian Team does not deserve a class player like Laxman. Especially in the absence of anyone responsible, who can stand shoulder to shoulder with him? Indian team is probably practicing for IPL starting March 12, 2010.

Dhoni and his boys need to be fed some theory classes. Test cricket is real cricket as Paresh Rawal said in the movie, Cheeni Kum. Five grueling days, which test your technique, your stamina, your endurance, your perseverance. Test Cricket is deeply and heavily dependent on bowlers. To win a test match, one side needs to take 20 wickets. Where have we got the expertise to claim twenty wickets? Except Zaheer, there are no regular or second graders in fast bowling. Ishant Sharma with tag of Rs. 4 Crore is not able to strike anything, Sreesanth is generally busy with his Malayalam film stars. How long can we tread saddling on Zaheer’s back? Unfortunately, he is also looking tired and wired. Harbhajan Singh, the only spinner is down and out. He has probably lost everything to 20-20 cricket. 20-20 leaves no scope or room for any temperament or technique to develop. He seriously needs to undergo some reconditioning pertaining to his bowling. For a second spinner, we are in testing stage, Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha play in alternative, so after six months or perhaps one year, one will be playing more matches over the other. The problem as one of the cricket experts said, bowlers try to bowl as many dot bowls as possible. Unfortunately, not only bowlers but the game as the whole is victim of 20-20 (more on that sometime later).

Coming back to our world class batsmen, as batting is thought to be India’s pote. Yuvraj Singh, even after becoming ODI vice-captain had difficulty in securing a place in test cricket. I am not saying they are not good. Our batting line-up is truly good, they can really score runs but we need to stick to the wicket in a test cricket, which the young generation is faltering in the past. Sourav Ganguly has been forced to retire, Rahul Dravid is injured, Laxman, selectors are searching for him, Tendulkar, I reserve my comments. Rest do we have any batsman in the country, who can pose some trouble or make the winning difficult for the other team even if we are playing without bowlers. Australia in Australia were biting their nails, that’s what Rahul and Laxman ran havoc on their bowling attack and still won the match.

We have not conditioned or seasoned batsman to protect our honour. The manner in which we fielded and Dhoni and his likes gave away their wicket to South Africa is truly a sad disappointment. Maybe Test Cricket is not that enjoyable, as Dhoni always says, enjoy the game guys. The same wicket, the same day, SA can strike 10 wickets and we are cherishing the two wickets. In four days, they strike twenty wickets and we are slumbered into our sad oblivion with only six wickets.

You need to fire, not to win but to make the other team work to defeat you. Winning is not important. More important factor is how we approach winning or losing. Indians has conceded the defeat on the first day itself when we got out in 60 overs. Perhaps if they could have just stretched the match for the five day and a charitable target, would have been much better.

Even South Africa is expecting to play with at least international standards as AB de Villiers quoted, “It is going to be a great challenge here at the Eden Gardens. I'm pretty sure India will come back with a big fight”. We don’t require match winners but match savers. Coz in the end, I’d say “MEANS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE END”.

My Name is Khan (or whatever)

2010-02-10T04:19:00.000-08:00

In Bollywood, if you name ShahRukh or Amitabh Bachchan in the interview or any view/idea to the media, you can be assured of additional space in the media. Some of the people, do try to name them. As part of the glamour industry, we understand that you need to create furore (negative or positive) by our continuous presence in media circles. But the politicians stooping to such low levels, especially when we have names like BalaSaheb getting into such murky affair is really shameful. BalaSaheb is a very respected person and politician, though as person that may be doubtful, but still. For all his insecurities and the ramblings, we should discount his age and the fact, that one of the powerful and invincible person (read person not as person) of Mumbai has been licking his wounds due to betrayal by his own nephew. Bala Saheb is an immensely talented and much better entertainer than Shah Rukh Khan. Read his comments in their party magazine, Saamna, the thoughts are indeed very refreshing jokes vis-à-vis the double meaning jokes that we cherish these days. Shah Rukh cannot never pull such kind of entertainment for his audience.

Karan Johar, the producer of My Name is Khan ensured to his audience and the fans of SRK that adequate security has been provided at all the 63 cinema screens across Mumbai, which will be screening My Name is Khan. Mr. Johar, you can go to police but cannot talk to BalaSaheb. You guys are at war with him, why should the audience be victim? We are neutral, neither supporting nor opposing. Bala Saheb possesses his own unique way of looking at things. Amitabh Bachchan apologized for a small remark by Jaya Bachchan in an informal gathering to Manse (MNS, lead by the child prodigy of Bala Saheb). Why cant Mr. Khan apologize to Bala Saheb?

I know SRK does not owe any apology to Bala Saheb. What he felt and said as a team owner and not as Muslim, Indian, Pakistani, entertainer. Bala Saheb, perhaps, believes that SRK is part of Congress and if he apologizes, he would feel Sonia has apologized to his Laughiness (a new word replicating the stature of Holiness/Highness). So much property will be destroyed and an atmosphere of hatred, fear and insecurity will be created for satisfying the ego of Mr. Bala Saheb.

Bala Saheb may be fuming why the movie is named, My Name is Khan. Unfortunately, Bala Saheb, you or you dumb shreds had no role in 9/11. Otherwise, the movie could have been titled My Name is Bhatwadekar/ or something like that.

In the meantime, SRK instead of promoting his film, is unperturbed to show and communicate his Indianness and he is not a Pakistani. I can’t imagine if somebody asks me to prove, I am an INDIAN, why I am Indian, how much I am Indian? Honestly, I don’t have any answer for that. Perhaps, my birth certificate, if you believe it is true and correct. But SRK hats off to you, he is really trying to pull this off.

From where the whole idea started? SRK commented on the exclusion of Pak players from IPL auction that he would have liked the presence of one or two Pakistani players. Inn comes Bala Saheb to invigorate our Indianness and our security issue and is helping us in believing that SRK is a traitor and not an Indian. So what even if he is not? What is Shiv Sena going to make out of it? Shiv Sena stands by and to protect the Mumbai and the Marathi manoos. You cannot prevent your own farmers from committing suicide, what is the point of saving them from whosoever they feel is threatening, frightening them. Mumbai, for God sake, only Thackeray possess the sensibility to destroy Mumbai. Mumbai is not a place or geography. It’s a spirit; it’s the benchmark, which means India for zillions of traders and business travelers. We are talking about making Mumbai, a cosmopolitan, where people of all spheres and walks of life, religions and nationalities, co-exist to create unique phenomena.

Bala Saheb, also alleged, his party will attack Australian cricketers for attacking Indians in Australia. My only stand, if they (Australian, Pakistani, American, Indonesian) attack anybody (India, Afghanistan, Japan, Veitnam), it’s a news, a blunder but still I can attack and threaten anybody, anywhere.

My humble request to Bala Saheb, to focus on the protection of his Marathi manoos, by undertaking something productive for them and leave the larger national issues, esp. issues pertaining to India. Nahi to, aapka bhatija, aapka bacha-kucha bhi lae jayega.

CHANGE

2010-01-30T00:30:00.000-08:00

Packed my bags from Mumbai and shifted to Delhi. Everything has changed in the past couple of days, city, job, profile, friends, atmosphere, weather and culture. Every little thing has undergone a sea change. I know, why Mumbai, even I am missing the claustrophobic Mumbai. No matter how dingy and dirty the Mumbai gets, it will truly be the best and most happening city of

India

. SEA, the dirty Arabian Sea, I miss it badly.

Although there have been debates, discussions, PKSE (Pyaar ke Side Effects), cover stories on Delhi v/s Mumbai, why Delhiites hate Mumbai and vice versa. I was happy to be greeted by the cold weather, which makes your organs shrink and the white layer of fog stretched across the city. After three long years, I was experiencing the cold weather of the Northern region. Remember my school days, when my parents would force to wear gloves, layers of clothing, but young in the blood, brave at the idiocities, no gloves, no sweater. Holding shoulder to shoulder of your friend and riding bicycle while one or two of them driving scooter would pull the whole chain of friends’ riding bicycle.

Delhi ki sardi is truly a joy to cherish. The cold weather brings the real flavour of the whisky. The two/three long swigs of whisky breaks the whole idea of a winter, which even comes at a discounted rates compared to Mumbai. In Mumbai, after gulping n pitchers of beer, you still felt hot inside and outside.

Yes I am truly adjusting to the bull shit transport service in Delhi. Though fares are cheaper in Delhi and exactly half the rate in Mumbai. But the hassle of catching an auto and begging him to take you at the fare he demands.

Meter se chalo, saab meter kharaab hai.

To theek karvayo, Meter se kaun chalta hai.

Acche kitne, 60 rupaiye.

Bhaiya 50 chalenge, saab dal 100 rupaiye se upar ho gayi hai, chinni 50 paar kar gayi hai.

Mujhe kyon bata rahe hon, Manmohan Singh ke pass time kaha hai yeh sab sunene ke liye.

Finally he says with all his pride and valour intact, bolo saab chalna hai. Still you are requesting, No man, please don’t leave me alone in this deserted place, I feel scary (yes I do feel the same at 8:30 in CP, the CBD of Delhi). In Delhi, even men are also not safe after sun sets.

He made me realize that the prices of basic commodities has really skyrocketed. Its been more than six months since I last visited grocery store. And promised, if I contribute towards reneging Manmohan Singh out of office, he will charge me 40. In Mumbai, an autorickshaw driver is hardly bothered to understand the economic parameters. In Mumbai, you meet and greet a lot of people, who are talking about stock markets and gulping and churning market information, is their one and only motive for existence. While in Delhi, people are always talking about Soniaji, Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh and all the special human beings sitting above, below or around them.

At the same time, we can definitely talk about the Metro and the Mumbai local. Both have different meanings and importance in the lives of the people of two cities respectively. You do miss the madness of the Mumbai local? It is a phenomena on its own.

In Mumbai, I would search for my friends, who owns a car or who is able to lend a car to me. But in Delhi, all of my friends fly on four wheels except me, who has started to feel crippled without a car in Delhi.

In Mumbai, we always shop at malls, but in Delhi, even for the most upmarket and chic stuff, you visit markets, where you can roam on a street and window shop and loudspeakers are on, please take care of belongings and take care of your car, somebody may be trying to steal things by diverting your attention. Cars are parked in open. In Mumbai, most of the cars suffered from exhaustion by sitting and waiting for too long in cramped underground parking spaces.

Aur SirJi kaise hon. Everybody greets you with humbleness and respect, though most of them don’t feel the same, most of the time. The babugiri has seeped into the veins of every Delhiite, be it a peon. Nobody takes time to look at the watch. Everybody is running an hour or two late, which is like standard time.

I miss the professional and corporate culture of Mumbai, where you only talk about the work and not about bhabhiji, bache and kakaji, even if it is for the first time or nth time. In Delhi, besides work, people have time for all the schmuck burdening the earth.

Girls of Delhi and Mumbai. Mumbai girls are smarter than Delhi girls. Delhi girls are more beautiful and fair than Mumbai girls. Delhi girls like to get-up (no not dress up or make up), something is loud or bold on their body. Either a body curve, excessive lipstick, jhumke (earrings), dupatta, something is always over the board, as if they forgot to remove something after attending yesterday night’s party.

I am a foodie, so will definitely talk about food. Its difficult for a Punjabi to live on rice. In Mumbai, rice is the only reasonable (in terms of cost, time, hygiene and genuinity). But in Delhi, food just tastes awesome and the smell of it gives butterflies in your stomach. The sumptuous chicken tikka, kebab rolls, parantha and chhole and the thick daal. Every second day, somebody orders the delicious samosa in office. While in Mumbai, I was bored and saddened to eat the idlis, dosas, vada-pav, pav-bhaji and rice pulav, it’s difficult to survive on such such of food. BalaSaheb your Marathi brigade really deserves the accolade and the respect for eating and living on such food.

The list can be endless about n number of things, thoughts and perceptions. But to sum up, I have found average Mumbaikar lives as he has been send to spend some time on earth while Delhiite lives to eat and a comfortable life, without caring about money.

3 IDIOTS

2010-01-08T02:26:00.000-08:00

With ‘3 Idiots’ I know I’m in the right. I’m just telling people to see the film and read my book. I know Aamir is a very powerful person. But finally the truth has to prevail, no? I’m no great artist, but there has to be fair play. I’m being accused of trying to get mileage. Ten lakh copies of the book have been sold. The book has been read by one crore readers. Wouldn’t they know the truth?

Finally after days of mud slinging over each other, Chetan Bhagat offered truce. Actually if we look into it, it was one way affair. Chetan Bhagat asserting his credit in the movie. There were hardly any comments from Aamir Khan or the maker of 3 Idiots. Then the media took over, who are experts in cooking biryani from plain rice. The media started discussing the credit points, same points, differences, percentages, 5%, 10%, 70% and 80%. When the media report came, Mr. Chetan Bhagat is paid Rs. 10 Lac for allowing filming rights to his novel, that is the end of the story. A creative person loses his world and charm and passion of his work. It is applicable to 3 Idiots film-makers and marketers too.

Or was it another marketing gimmick from one and all the interested parties. Aamir Khan possesses innovative market strategies. Had he thought, the name of the author/book could help him in leveraging his movie’s box office collections, Chetan Bhagat would have been laughing all his way to the bank. Chetan Bhagat saying in the end, I’m just telling people to see the film and read my book. Chetan Bhagat knows that a book only adds to numbers when it is released or when a movie is made on it. Like in the case of Slumdog Millionaire, the book was sold in lakhs after the movie release against its early distribution of 50,000. Chetan Bhagat knows anyhow after selling a million copies, this is the only chance to sell few more lakhs of copies of the book, esp. after the publisher had printed a million copies prior to the release of the movie (probably it may be the case). I don’t know how much credit should be given to the author of the book. In American/British movies, majority of the moviemakers don’t even mention the book and the author. The titles present only Based on Novel by ......, A Book Adaptation, etc. A filmmaker is inspired from a novel. A filmmaker can never ever justify the novel.

I would like to suggest to Mr. Chetan Bhagat, India is not a readers country. He should be really happy for his feat. His book made many Indians sit and read the one and only book of their life. In India, a book cannot compete with a movie. Indians like to watch movies. There’ll be very few people who will still read the novel. Majority of the people, who read novels before or after watching the movie, must have already read his novel.

Chetan Bhagat, himself said, ten lakh copies sold and one crore readers, need one say more. Most of the friends said after watching the movie, the novel was better. It’s difficult to share limelight/spotlight with Aamir Khan. In the end, these days only media wins, rest everybody is painted in an ugly frame.

Twenty Ten

2010-01-06T02:43:00.000-08:00

Finally 2009 is over. I am not late or just woken up. Didn’t get time to publish it. It is always an exciting time of the year around Christmas. Everybody is looking at the year gone-by, the parties, the fun, the colours and the frolic. Though I miss the wintry chill of North, where I have spent 24 years of my life, wrapping yourself under layers of clothes, moving around with a blanket, holding hot cup of chai in hands to warm your body, the real taste of whiskey is felt in cold weather and the bon-fires.

I really don’t know or understood why people celebrate New Year. For the year goneby, the events, the moments, a flashback is so different from the normal routine. 2009 ending was special as we were waving goodbye to a decade. To a tumultuous decade. The decade evoAked to the fall of WTC in New York. The ultimate terrorist attack ever accomplished on a superpower. Suddenly the West realized how big the problem is and what poor nations and ill-equipped nation like our’s is undergoing. 9/11. 26/11, 7/11, 11 was symbolized for terror. Bali blasts, Madrid bombings, Tube blasts, Taj coup, so many dead and yet the fight for jihad is on. Osama Bin Laden seems like a case which will always be in progress. Al-Jazeera was one of the most sought after channels in the world. Afghanistan and Iraq fell, Pakistan will fall in the coming decade. Just pray India does not follow them. Coz when your neighbours are shouting, even you find it difficult to sleep. The talk of bombs and bombers was the supreme activity of this decade before Mr. Fuld took over.

The ending of 2009 was definitely an event to be celebrated. 2009 was one of the most painful years in past few decades. The pain inflicted by events of 2008 gave its conclusive results in 2009. 11’s were forgotten. Suddenly the World opened to a new phenomenon which nobody would have imagined in their wildest dreams. All the money that the Central Govt’s had printed was eaten away by rats. Americans would have been happy and restored peace by firing missiles on rats. But unfortunately those rats were American, so out of sympathy, they fed those rats with some more green paper and the diseased population spread to the world. It was only for few people like Indians and Chinese, who didn’t entertain those rats or fried those rats on their hotplates, respectively.

The World order changed in this decade. The people from BRICs, BASIC, Chindia, Emerging markets/nations were rubbing shoulders with the first world and would try and look straight in the eye, if not scare them. Hope something better comes out of it in the coming deacde. Otherwise, the process and the idea has changed globally. Orator Obama, sexy Sarkozy, dumb Brown, Madam Chancellor, everybody has changed and with them their outlook towards the world. India found water in space, for which NASA had spent billions of dollars.

This decade was extremely special for India. India was able to display to the World that we are capable and hopefully may come up with bigger surprises in the coming decade. We got one of the most intelligent and honest person in the country as our PM. Every politician falls short on his/her promises, but the good thing to notice is how many promises they were able to keep and what efforts they put in for those promises.

In technology space, laptops became cheaper than a typewriter, kids learn to operate mobile phone before they start speaking. So in the coming decade, you can expect some credit card sized gadget to be better equipped than your laptop, you blink about a message to be sent to your loved one, it will be their on his screen. Don’t look me as I’m fool, such things are happening and will happen, when companies are spending billions on cloud computing, Google is bidding for telecom spectrum to offer free internet services and guys like Pranav Mistry have built a cell phone sized super computer (that’s how I’d say it).

In entertainmwnt world, Playboy is up for sale. I don’t understand why Mr. Mallya didn’t bid for it. Everything came out of closet, when we have reality TV and people like Rakhi Sawant, who can make money and career out of bull shit. In the coming decade, expect the few sheets remaining on the bedside to be dumped. The whole flavor of naturalness will get more evolved. Already international celebs are posing in the name of vegans and greens. India is also in the race with them for everything so leave the glamour potion.

Cheers to 2010…………..!!!!!

Life on Two Wheels: Nostalgic

2009-12-18T00:36:00.000-08:00

Search in your porch, backyard, godown, you will find a piece of machine in this fashion. Talk to your father, they’ll be nostalgic with the first scooter of their life. The iconic brand to put Indians on the running machine is stopping scooter production. We had spoken about Maruti and how it changed the car market of India. But the real change was brought by Bajaj.

In late 1970’s or early 1980’s as Indian society was getting educated and looking to make life in urban districts. Though today’s rural are better off than 1980’s urbans. But still our parents and grandparents will be nostalgic with the above logo and the tagline Hamara Bajaj.

Buland Bharat ki buland tasveer,

Hamara Bajaj, Hamara Bajaj.

Some of our uncle’s may talk about the Lambretta, the Italian two wheeler, which was taken to fancy. Of course, Lambretta was not as sexy as seen in picture, especially because of the noise it created. Skeleton of Labretta (picture below).

I had my first ride on Lambretta. It has its special place but I have more fond memories with Bajaj. It was Bajaj scooter which changed the landscape of two-wheeler market of India.

People thumped their chests with pride whenever they showed their shining Bajaj Scooter to people/neighborhood standing in porch or the street. They would spend hours cleaning and shining (though there were no shiny metallic shades in those times) their Bajaj scooter. Nowadays we don’t even bother or feel half the excitement as our parents, even after buying a sedan car.

Owning a Bajaj scooter was their biggest achievement in life. Especially when the manufacturer had license to manufacture limited number of scooters and every upper class/middle class Indian wanted one in their porch/drawing room. You need to book a Bajaj scooter for months in advance, call influential people to ensure the scooter is delivered on time.

As a kid, I would fight with my brother to allow me to stand in front of the scooter holding the handle. It was pure fun. Oops for the next generation, it means standing on a running scooter between the driver and the handle. No doubt, I’d lose to my brother in the beginning as he was taller and I ran the risk of banging my face on the handle. Later when he got taller to distract diver with his height, I had chance to stand with my father but then my father bought his first car by that time. But then I’d pursue my parents not to take my brother.

Riding on scooter was fun. Playing and imitating the ridiculous boring scooter sounds/noises with themovement of the hands was another activity for recreation. Playing all the innocent child indoor games perched on the scooter instead of sitting at home. If father noticed, he would scold, remove your shoes or get down from the scooter; you are scratching my baby with your shoes.

One of the ultra compressed fusion version of scooter and moped, SUNNY was launched by Bajaj in mid 1990’s. Sachin Tendulkar was the Brand Ambassador. Sunny was amongst the first few gearless scooter in India. It was like a small genset engine fitted in a bigger toy.

Sunny was made from plastic and would shout and cry even if two people exceeding 40 kgs would sit on it. I can bet on it, it’d move if a 60 kg person sat on Sunny. It was more of a sport for kids and teens for parents who were cautious in handing over their kids a gear scooter. The first machined vehicle that I ever drove in my life.

The scooter in the picture above is amongst the latest model of scooter launched by Bajaj under Bajaj Chetak trademark. School and college life was fun because of the Bajaj scooter. Especially in school, after cycle, Bajaj scooter was single biggest elevation step in life. You progress and move ahead. When all your fellow cyclist classmates are holding your shoulder with one hand and another hand on bicycle and first shoulder by second hand and so on and you are practically helping half a dozen friends to ride on their own bicycles without peddling.

Then came the college life, when your scooter becomes a car. You don’t even remember how many times only you or two had taken ride on it. At least three or at times four and stealing petrol from others scooter to feed the gas guzzling two wheeler. Actually Bajaj was amongst the most efficient but unfortunately in comparison to bikes, scooters couldn’t match the efficiency of bikes. You approach your first love with Bajaj scooter by your side. Standing at the other end of the narrow bylane of the girl’s house and waiting for the girl you wish to propose or your girlfriend, only Bajaj scooter was my partner in my tryst of destiny.

For impressing girls, LML Vespa was significantly helpful as it was stylish and more associated with youth. So I would borrow my friend’s LML at times to chase the girls.

Besides making love stories successful, Bajaj helped and contributed immensely towards building homes. It helped people move across their daily needs on this scooter. Carrying and dropping their loved ones from one part to other part of the city. Driving Bajaj was fun and everybody who owned a scooter had a smile on his/her face.

Riding with the family on scooter. Man, wife and their two/three kids. This inspired Mr. Ratan Tata to develop One Lac Rupee car for the middle class population of India. It was a truly Indian scooter designed for use for an Indian family unlike Vespa or Lambretta. Bajaj had a carriage in the front, storage side on the left rear, a stepny on the back for holding the family onto the scooter.

As a mode of transportation, shopkeepers, SME owners ferried and marketed their goods on Bajaj scooter. Bikes are incapable to perform such onerous tasks of carrying goods. Bajaj ruled the roost with the carriages and boxes can be piled on any side of this scooter, front, back, side, between the legs. At times, the driver would be seen driving with his leg dangling in the air, folded and piled on top of the box, stretching the leg on top of the boxes with the little space to apply brakes on the right side.

Now the world has moved and so have the expectations of the people. Even Bollywood makes use of the Bajaj scooter to indicate the bechara (pitiable) condition of their protagonist. I have not reference, but still notice the brilliant colours of Bajaj Scooter. Nobody can think of driving anything if presented in these colours. It was also another striking feature of Bajaj scooter.

Later Bajaj introduced heavy and more macho scooter like Bajaj Legend. But people still have memories with the original Bajaj or their longest running range of Chetak scooters. The word Chetak is symbolic as it is derived from the name of horse of Maharana Pratap, who was thought to be the fastest and most efficient horse of Indian history.

Times change, motives change, a new world order emerges. Now the Bajaj’s logo has gone for complete overhaul with the younger generation taking charge of the company and the market. The scooters portfolio has been replicated by the bikes. In future, even bikes will be replaced by cars.

Mr. Rahul Bajaj, the Chairman of Bajaj Auto Ltd., the man who put India on wheels is not happy (we should be mentioning sad here) with the MD’s decision to completely stop the production of scooters. Rajeev Bajaj, the elder son of Mr. Rahul Bajaj is the Managing Director of Bajaj Auto Ltd.

Rajeev Bajaj is clear, businesses are not built on emotions but rational business decisions. Rahul Bajaj says it is not about emotions, “I care less for the solution from emotions, I believe more in the magic of logic”. Its OK, Mr Bajaj, there’s no logic, we are also emotional and nostalgic about our Bajaj scooter. The press note should not mean much. As practically two or three years back, Bajaj had stopped production of scooters. In future, one or two rare Bajaj scooters one may find will be as seen under:

P.S.: You can watch the commercials of Bajaj on www.vido4veit.com, which will take us through the journey of emotions, India of 1980’s and 1990’s, how our society has evolved. The stories and characters we lived through our childhood.

Legalization

2009-12-17T00:42:00.000-08:00

Legalise prostitution if you can't curb it, SC tells Govt.

The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Centre whether it can legalise prostitution if it is not possible to curb it with punitive measures.

"When you say it is the world's oldest profession and when you are not able to curb it by laws, why don't you legalise it? You can then monitor the trade, rehabilitate and provide of medical aid to those involved in the trade," a bench of Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice A K Patnaik told Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam.

Prostitution is the oldest profession of this world, even SC has reiterated it. Why is it called a profession? One of my friends had said, “If Ved Vatsyayna is referred to as Ved then prostitution can be called as a profession”. It’s difficult to parallel the two. Traditionally it maybe a profession, but within the confines of the law and the society, it is an illegal business. Slavery was first criticized and then abolished as they said you cannot trade human beings. Prostitution is illegal and punishable under IPC (Indian Penal Code) for the one who pays and the one who receives money.

It is not that the Law is not capable to curb this activity. Exploitation of human being is one of the gravest crimes on earth and that too, because of their SEX, demands our urgent attention to the issue. The Law Enforcers are not willing to curb this activity. There is no woman on this Earth who would like to enter this profession by choice. Perhaps there may be few who have no option or may be a convenient way for survival. Add to that the extreme poverty conditions of India. In certain tribal/rural areas, parents are forced to sell one of their daughters to ensure the other children do not die due to hunger. Of course, we cannot justify/argue destroying a person’s life, it is simply unacceptable. Govt. needs to attack the hunger of the poor or maybe the parents. The list of poverty and its consequences are dire in this country.

(A prostitute lifts her skirt)

But then it is an equally popular trade in developed nations, where Govt. even takes the responsibility of the unemployed. Various developed countries have tried to curb this activity by different means, wherein they have worked on the premise that women are victims and we need to show compassion towards their plight. In one of the European country, the legislation says anybody found paying for receiving any favours in sexual activity shall be held punishable, on the same hand it does not talks about wrong doing in the hands of the receiver. It is one of the positive aspects of this Law. But then does this help us in finding the solution? Not really, it may have exacerbated the problems of the sex workers in some other manner.

For every woman engaged/forced into profession, she is supporting more than two human beings on her earnings. Two (human beings) is a conservative figure, it may be her family or the pimp who represents her or police officer who demand bribes from them. Scan through the classifieds of any Mumbai local newspaper, one will know how easy it is to run this business. It is this casualness, which is harming the society. My cab driver took me through the Kamatipura area, the red-light district conditions of Mumbai. Not to mention, the whole area of Grant Road running till Kamatipura is such poverty stricken and it runs a chill in your spine, when you contrast it to Colaba, Nariman Point which are just stone throw away (by Bombay standards) from this area. A child walks upto my window in a moving cab albeit at snail pace and asks, “saab maal chahiye”. I wanted to tell him, you are talking about a human being. Show some respect to your existence, if not them. Within seconds, he markets all types of girls, by their origin, colour, age. I was shouting to my cabdriver, move fast and we are stuck in traffic. Politely I tell him NO, coz there was no point preaching. I was clutching fast to the window handle and rotating it with both hands to push the glass up. Imagine what that child will become when he grows up? I don’t know, if he was pushing for his mother or on behalf of his father (who may be a pimp) or born like that, that even his mother had absolutely no idea what his father might look like.

Supreme Court gave their comments on the PIL filed by an NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan and the intervention application moved by Childline complaining about large scale child trafficking in the country. We need to save these children and give them their childhood back. SC questions, Why don’t you legalize it?

One of our law faculty had said, “Society exists because of Law”.
Legalizing prostitution will help the society. It is difficult to say, when we should be trying to help the sex workers and flee away from this menace and try to make our society a better place to live, where everybody is respected and not sleeps for few pieces of green paper. Legalizing means we have presumed and submitted that prostitution cannot be eradicated from our society.

But then legalization does have its benefits for the sex workers. They can call themselves as sex workers and not always abused at. It will stop the exploitation. They will be given few rights in their hands which they are now deprived of.

(A street of Kamathipura)

Perhaps the present legal structure needs to be restructured to give them equal rights of a human being or as a citizen of India. The structure at the same time, should probably throw an idea or a path to help the victims who have been forced into this activity to leave this profession and lead a life where sex is not an object or means to earn livelihood. It remains just as an expression of love.

PAA – Movie and Thoughts

2009-12-09T00:39:00.000-08:00

Everybody is talking about how fantastic the film is. Amitabh Bachchan crosses yet another milestone of his life, experiments and shows his brilliance and knowledge in the field of acting and wants to say, whichever few honorary and felicitation awards are left in few countries he has not visited should gift him one. Some of them are dejected to know that they didn’t find Amitabh Bachchan in the movie. It was the character ‘AURO’, who got all the space. An actor wins the brownie points, only if he allows the character to supersede his persona and image. I’d say Amitabh Bachchan has given one stellar performance. You don’t talk about Amitabh Bachchan after leaving the halls but about the wittiness of the AURO. While I was entering the hall, I told my friend, the name of Amitabh Bachchan helps in creating hype. They could have put on the make-up on any other actor. But the makers had to show the hands and arms of an old man. Of course, you could have applied old skin patches on hands and arms too. AURO had to maim the behavior of a child and the body language of a child and an old man. It is extremely difficult to project for an actor. Probably somebody as experienced as Amitabh Bachchan could have handled it with elan. If we keenly observe the designing of character ‘AURO’, he acts and behaves with a child’s mind and yet he is mature as he is shown physically. AURO makes Vidya Balan and Abhishiek Bachchan seem like a supporting cast. The poster of the PAA features only the character, AURO. Abhishiek Bachchan has a bigger role in terms of his importance in the film. AURO’s maturity came in handling and making his parents come together. He does not say Abhishiek, father since he met him inspite of knowing the fact. A child longs to say MA and PAA. AURO gets to say ma but not PAA. What a moment they have captured to justify the brilliant title? Without revealing further details, I would like you to go explore the same in the movie.

Balki has cracked a whacker with his second film. We should not forget he is an adman and he delivers stories in less than a minute’s time. It is difficult as a writer to get into the child’s mind. And at the same time, he has touched upon an upcoming issue in Indian society. In 1980’s and 1990’s, there was huge movement against anti-abortion and people marched through streets to tell the Govt in USA. about passing anti-abortion laws. The slogan ran, “It’s not a CHOICE, it’s a CHILD”. Going forward, when Indian economy and society is opening up by breaking the shackles of the past, these issues will gain more importance. To abort a child is equivalent to murder. I read a quote around at SV Road, Bandra, “A child gives birth to a mother”. Had this movie been made, fifteen years back, people would have rejected it.

Balki has dealt with some other issues in the movie. They make us lose the plot of the movie. Some of the issues handled are the development of Mumbai’s slums, a foreign educated politician wanting to transform India, giving one hand to media. It is neither effective nor consequential. Probably the whole sequence should have been tightened.

Many people forsake lives of children who are born abnormal. It would not try to be figurative on this topic. Its personal choice because at later stages, it becomes extremely painful for parents and the child. Vidya Balan had to raise this child. It was not the question of the child, it was the question of her existence for which she has struggled, fought and left her love. Vidya is sensational in the movie, she performs her role effortlessly. Middle-aged ravaged roles suit her. She should not try to look young and sexy. Keep it Simple Vidya.

Should we watch the movie or not? Go and explore for yourself the brilliance of Balki, the cinematography, music, the look, feel and the appeal of the movie.

Love him, Hail him, Adore him…. No HATE him

2009-12-07T22:37:00.000-08:00

Well the topic is very controversial and I can be badly beaten by the Cricket fans/lovers in India. Everybody must be wondering why, Sehwag has even brought the trophy home. Sehwag made the 4th December afternoon so interesting that stock brokers in my office switched from CNBC to Neo Sports, which is lethal for their profession. Sehwag missed the World record by a whisker. First batsman in the world to score three triple centuries in Test Matches. I always used to think, how an Indian player can create glory under the shadow of Sachin Tendulkar. Sehwag has clearly taught us the way to be different.

Sehwag is born with sheer wit and determination to hit every ball offered to him. If he is not able too, he will be resting in the dressing room after scoring a quickie of 30-40. On 4th December, Sehwag forgot he was playing in a Test Match. His batting style seemed as if he is playing in an extended T20 match. Do you think this is healthy for the game in the long run? People idolized Sachin Tendulkar and wanted to become one now if they start wishing and playing Sehwag style, it will kill the game. Nobody would want to become bowler.

I felt pity for the Sri Lankan bowlers besides the joy of watching Sehwag. It was like you are struggling, stumbling at the work, after putting days and nights together for a presentation and all you are getting is a volley of abusing and screaming from your boss from morning till evening without any fault of yours’. The person says I don’t wish to work, I am off for the day. I don’t wish to be respected, it’s ok if you yell at me but don’t abuse me, just show a little amount of courtesy.

T20 is great, esp. IPL. It has created an entertainment format of Cricket. It is offering more first class players to showcase their talent and earn a livelihood. But on the hindsight, it is going to hurt the sporting format. English County players say early start in T20 by Indians has taken their game to a different level. But may need to bring one more format favouring the bowlers. We need bowlers. Practically iconic bowlers have ceased to exist, esp. the likes of Courtney Walsh, Glenn Mcgrath, Curtly Ambrose, Shane Warne. Of course, there were great’s like marshalls, richard’s, merchants, engineers and vishwanath’s in earlier times of cricket. We may not find any in future with the present level of progession of the game.

26/11

2009-11-27T04:15:00.000-08:00

Today is the 26/11 and the year is 2009, exactly one year since one of the deadliest terror attacks on India, where the coup lasted for 60 hours. 11 has become one of the most significant digits in the number system of this universe and a synonym for terror. There are very few numbers which represent a term. Ever since 9/11, which took place in America on September 11th, 2001, all the terror attacks are named after their date and every possible and impossible attempt is made to bring the number 11 in the date. In 9/11, the MM-DD pattern is followed, in 26/11, DD-MM pattern is followed, same was the case with blasts in Indonesia or Spain. Americans define the standards in terms of terrorists even.

I was lucky to reach my office at Nariman Point uninterruptedly today. There was huge mela of the mediapersons all through the Marine Drive. They were talking to people, telling people where the attacks took place, how, what, when and how do feel type questions. In the background, they are playing all the patriotic songs. It’s really a nice thing to commemorate the victims and remember the martyrs.

Media has made a hullaballoo of the whole issue. You give them only raw rice and they’ll serve you “biryani”. No terror attack has been handled by media in such detailed and provocative manner. Bomb blasts in 1993, the train blasts in 2006, Parliament attack, no terror incident has been reported like 26/11. Does India need to have its own 9/11 to boast about? Now we have one. The World fancies all the things American. Our media must have missed a commemoration monument like Ground Zero. So the army marched with the launch of new special task force named “FORCE ONE” from Hotel Oberoi to Chaupati, popularly known as Marine Drive. Mallya may claim his ownership rights and title on the name, FORCE ONE. I really don’t understand, why you need to build a memorial for a terror attack. Cover that space up, build bigger and better towers than Trade Centre. Allow people to leave and live past their wounds. It’s not a healthy sign to live with our wounds. Only person who will remember 26/11 forever is Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh. He lost his CM status because of his stupidity after attacks.

Coming back on the importance of 26/11 over other terror attacks. All others were bomb blasts, but this was a hostage situation and ill-equipped security forces took a day to gather and develop a strategy, that’s why it was stretched to 60 hours. Sorry to say, it was not 60 hours of terror. My office is situated on the back of Hotel Oberoi and some of my colleagues were working in office when terrorists struck and were working the next day even which was Saturday. The tension existed at the spots, but the whole country was not held hostage to terrorists but to media panic.

Every other person who came on TV, newspaper, last year and this year, got their two minutes of fame because of 26/11. Media people, they keep on pondering on the same boring questions, how do you feel, what do you have to say, right now and after one year and so on and so forth. The only problem or situation arrived due to 26/11 is they have created fortresses of Business Hotels. People in Mumbai do not have so much time to lament for weeks, months or a year. They move on, that’s why this city has been still building inspite of all the horrific attacks for the last two decades. But the big man who took all the limelight was Ajmal Kasab. Kasab has become a living legend, for those who may dream or are forced to take up terrorism as the profession. I just hope the cost of keeping a terrorist alive, pays. At times, I believe, he was too small a mole in this whole piece to divulge any details and should have been drugged and killed and his body handed over to his parents in Pakistan. On the other hand, we are just waiting to hear and know that he gives some strong points and atrocious version of the Pakistani approach against India. Our PM lately made very applauding points during his visit to USA.

A terror attack will not be one, if it is not able to spread terror. LeT, Lashkar and all their brotherhood should be rest assured that their one act will be played thousand times over several years by Indian media to keep the feelings and fear alive in the minds of Indian public. I empathize with our media, in our job, we are looking for thrill and out of box/context ideas to scale the ladder and enliven our lives. It’s not everyday, they get to cover a live attack. It was THE MOMENT of the media industry. But still they need to show a little amount of responsibility and the same reason why they are not welcomed at most of the places.

On the first completion of a no-terror attack on India from fundamentalists across the country, we should come together and pray for the lost souls of 26/11.

Spare Sachin, Save Balasaheb

2009-11-20T02:56:00.000-08:00

Sachin didn’t hit a Six on completing twenty years of his Career in International Cricket but clean bowled from a dead ball by Mr. Bal Thackeray. 20 years is a long time? I am already bored after two years in my job. Completing 20 years in International cricket is the biggest feat even above his scoring records. There have been fewer than few gentlemen in cricket to complete 20 years in International cricket. A sportsperson has a short span of career. That too at the age of 37 with flying colours with records which few complete cricket teams cannot even boast. Everybody, no matter how big or small that person is in International Cricket has oodles to write about Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin Tendulkar offers enough to everybody to read and write and that too, sans controversy in a country where Cricket is RELIGION and Sachin is GOD. Clearly do Indians think that their GOD said something which hurt their feelings? I don’t think so, anybody will say that, even my Marathi friends will agree with him.

Everybody agreed and bowed to their GOD except Bal Thackeray. Bal Thackeray is acting like a YAMRAJ, he may be for few Marathi’s. A cartoonist, who used to make others tickle with his black lines cannot allow himself to be mocked at. Sachin clearly, did tread the path which leapt straight into the path of Mr. Thackeray. Udhav Thackeray (son of Bal Thackeray) said, Mumbai meri baap ke hai (Mumbai belongs to my father). I don’t have anything bad to mouth about Sachin Tendulkar (even if I do as if it matters). Rather I admire him the most in the world; I would like to be Sachin Tendulkar of whichever field I dedicate myself too. He gave a perfect answer, Mumbai belongs to the Indians, a geographically, politically, historically, mentally and emotionally correct answer.

But then on the flipside, we should not cold shoulder Mr. Bal Thackeray, he has built his self-ego, the false issues to further deteriorate the lives of his Marathi manoos as he calls them, over a period of thirty years or probably equivalent to Sachin Tendulkar’s age. Balasaheb has to do few things before his nephew raised by Balasaheb, will take up all the dead issues of Shiv Sena under the new banner of MANSE (popularized version of MNS) with the fresh appeal. Back in my neighbourland, manoos might be read as ma-noos, which means manhoos (one who brings unfortunate to others) in Hindi. Nobody can allow a messiah of Marathi pride, to be over-ruled by GOD of cricket, who himself is Marathi. My appeal to media is, it does not matter whatever you write about Balasaheb or Sach, it is not going to undo what they have said and done in their career.

I don’t understand why, politicians are most sensitive and insecure people on this Earth. They, themselves, don’t believe in themselves or their ideologies. They want people to have faith in them. It cannot be true. Sachin didn’t bad mouth anybody, he expressed his thoughts. Balasaheb debunked the deeds of 20 years of one of the finest gentleman in India in 20 seconds. Media in India, probably needs to unlearn and then learn the process of feeding and processing news or to build a story. They should try to look at positive perspective of things. India as a developing nation with 1.05 billion population requires that positivity. If they find it difficult, probably Sachin can give them a piece.

Kurt Cobain's Death Confession

2009-10-21T03:41:00.000-07:00

Just wanted share Kurt Cobain's Death Confession on why he committed suicide after he was proclaimed as one of the best Rock sensations. It is worth read and a soul searching letter for everybody.

To Boddah

Speaking from the tongue of an experienced simpleton who obviously would rather be an emasculated, infantile complain-ee. This note should be pretty easy to understand.

All the warnings from the punk rock 101 courses over the years, since my first introduction to the, shall we say, ethics involved with independence and the embracement of your community has proven to be very true. I haven't felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music along with reading and writing for too many years now. I feel guity beyond words about these things.

For example when we're back stage and the lights go out and the manic roar of the crowds begins., it doesn't affect me the way in which it did for Freddie Mercury, who seemed to love, relish in the love and adoration from the crowd which is something I totally admire and envy. The fact is, I can't fool you, any one of you. It simply isn't fair to you or me. The worst crime I can think of would be to rip people off by faking it and pretending as if I'm having 100% fun. Sometimes I feel as if I should have a punch-in time clock before I walk out on stage. I've tried everything within my power to appreciate it (and I do, God, believe me I do, but it's not enough). I appreciate the fact that I and we have affected and entertained a lot of people. It must be one of those narcissists who only appreciate things when they're gone. I'm too sensitive. I need to be slightly numb in order to regain the enthusiasms I once had as a child.

On our last 3 tours, I've had a much better appreciation for all the people I've known personally, and as fans of our music, but I still can't get over the frustration, the guilt and empathy I have for everyone. There's good in all of us and I think I simply love people too much, so much that it makes me feel too fucking sad. The sad little, sensitive, unappreciative, Pisces, Jesus man. Why don't you just enjoy it? I don't know!

I have a goddess of a wife who sweats ambition and empathy and a daughter who reminds me too much of what i used to be, full of love and joy, kissing every person she meets because everyone is good and will do her no harm. And that terrifies me to the point to where I can barely function. I can't stand the thought of Frances becoming the miserable, self-destructive, death rocker that I've become.

I have it good, very good, and I'm grateful, but since the age of seven, I've become hateful towards all humans in general. Only because it seems so easy for people to get along that have empathy. Only because I love and feel sorry for people too much I guess.

Thank you all from the pit of my burning, nauseous stomach for your letters and concern during the past years. I'm too much of an erratic, moody baby! I don't have the passion anymore, and so remember, it's better to burn out than to fade away.

Peace, love, empathy.
Kurt Cobain
Frances and Courtney, I'll be at your alter.
Please keep going Courtney, for Frances.
For her life, which will be so much happier without me.

I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!

Did you get it: Sex increases Performance

2009-09-25T04:25:00.000-07:00

After winning the match against Pakistan, the sports expert asks, ‘So tell us Yuvraj, you had an amazing day, what is the secret behind scoring double century in a limited overs’ cricket game’. Yuvraj replies, ‘well our Coach gave us an advice couple of months back and now I got a chance to capitalize on it. The expert asks another one, ‘can you share that piece with cricket lovers’ and your fans’. Yuvraj replies, ‘I would like to thank my fans for their love and support’.

If it happens after few months, don’t be surprised as Indian Cricket Team Coach has urged Indian Cricket Stars to have SEX in order to improve their performance on field.

Our tabloids will report in future, Yuvraj had a threesome with African ad Russian chick for three hours prior to the match. He did not pump any iron on/off the field. All the hard work went into fielding on the bed side. All cricket rookies and experts will be seen carrying Kama Sutra, term it their Bible for success on and off the field.

BCCI’s office will be turned into a Playboy Mansion with the caption, “Indulgence for performance”. Don’t be surprised if you read this, entire Indian Cricket Team Coach has advised our team to have more sex to indulge (oh-sorry it’s not indulge but improve) on-field performance.

I don’t wish to comment on the fact of improvement of performance. But I do believe sex is very important element of our life and happiness, which is a social taboo in India. India is clearly a sex starved nation. But still Gary Kirsten has come out with interesting observations and also tried to justify the same. Cristiano Ronaldo, the man who produces dollars and that too lots of them with his shoes (yeah it’s millions and millions), has sex before he enters the football field. You can imagine, but in India, it is perceived over-indulgence makes a man weak. Don’t question in front of whom, whether it a woman or his body or may be both.

"From a physiological perspective, having sex increases testosterone levels, which cause an increase in strength, energy, aggression and competitiveness," the document said.

"Conversely, not having sex for a period of a few months causes a significant drop in testosterone levels in both males and females, with the corresponding passiveness and decrease in aggression."

"If you want sex but do not have someone to share it with, one option is to go solo whilst imagining you have a partner, or a few partners, who are as beautiful as you wish to imagine," the document said.

"No pillow talk and no hugging required. Just roll over and go to sleep."

Enforced celibacy may also affect performance, the advice said.

"You may experience that your mind spends more time focusing on the fire in your groin than on good sport practice, preparation and sleep," the document said.

One of my professors in college said Indians are the biggest frustrated lechers in the world. Firangi people seem happier than Indians and have contentment and commitment to whatever they undertake. Because when they set off from home, they either drink beer/whisky or indulge in a quickie sex-bite. A man cannot ask anything more than that, if he gets one of them, he does not ask anything beyond that.

I guess this may be the theme/theory for advising an un-religious (as some may say), ostracized activity by society (esp. to talk if not in performance). I was expecting Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal, RSS or some political outfit to come out remind us of our Indian-ness.

Nevertheless, whether Indian cricket players indulge or not, their fans just want to see them hitting sixes, breaking the stumps and diving to drop catches. Last but not the least, they must win matches.

Calling hubby names not cruel, says HC

2009-09-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

Calling the husband ‘bhondu’, ‘pagal’, ‘bewakoof’ and making fun of his low educational qualifications does not amount to cruelty and is not a ground for divorce, the Bombay high court has ruled.

Imagine Bombay HC saying this thing, it has hit the last nail in the coffin. The dividing gap amongst the power in the household in the hands of a female has been evident since ages. The female was always an in-charge of the household and the man posed as the head of the family. Now in these modern times of Fundamental Rights, I believe men need to assert for their rights to equality. We are losing ground fast, really fast.

Couple of months back, SC said, ‘biwi jo kehti hai woh sunoh’ (listen to your wife and do as she says). Now Bombay HC gives the woman more rights to even rebuke and insult a man. I don’t know if it allows in front of other people.

A division bench of Justice P B Majumdar and Justice R V More dismissed an application filed by a 33-year-old Pune resident seeking to end his 2003 marriage with his wife, with whom he has lived for barely 20 months.

“The husband should not have been so sensitive even if a few words were uttered by the wife,” the judges said. “In family life, between a husband and wife, occasionally there may be some exchange of wit, anger, jokes or satire; that itself may not be treated as an act of cruelty,” the judges remarked, saying this could not be grounds for dissolution of the marriage.

I know women have better understanding of society, people and managing household and in turn lives. God has blessed women with their dynamic nature. But still that does not mean, that men should be frowned upon. They need their share of respect from the society.

Please My Lord (an appeal to our Hon’ble Judges), Kindly look at the plight of men than pity. Rather they should advise and say, KISS and make up.

Private vs Public Interest

2009-09-16T03:29:00.000-07:00

This piece is written by Sucheta Dalal on the fued amongst Ambani brothers.

Anil Ambani talking about public interest is funny. But it seems only family feuds can throw light on a lot of murky deals. Few people in India understand the complex business of oil & gas pricing. So long as everything was a sarkari monopoly, there wasn’t any need to, especially because most utilities were subsidised for the ordinary person. Privatisation has meant deal-making, allegations of corruption and a sharp increase in prices. How does an ordinary person cut through the allegations, untruths and rhetoric between the Ambani brothers to figure out whether our utilities are priced right and the country’s natural resources are exploited for private benefit?

Unfortunately, most people do not care and see the battle between the Ambani brothers as a modern-day Mahabharat with all its trappings of wealth, power and glamour. But can we afford to ignore the core issues? If we do, we will have another Enron-like situation, where an unscrupulous US company worked a dubious deal with our netas and babus and silenced most of the media through pressure or incentives. A decade later, Enron’s plant (at three times the original capacity) remains shut and unviable in a power-starved country.

In its previous term, the UPA government remained a mute spectator to the brazen partisanship of the then telecom minister, D Raja, on issues of spectrum allocation and pricing. Even the Prime Minister’s Office pleaded helplessness over reining in the minister. Anil Ambani was then the happy beneficiary of the system. Much earlier, when Mukesh Ambani controlled Reliance Telecom, it was Anil Ambani who exposed the allocation of a whopping one crore shares to the late Pramod Mahajan’s kin to facilitate Reliance’s backdoor entry into the mobile telecom space by flouting all existing rules.

What is the connection between Enron, telecom and the war for gas between the Ambani brothers? In the 1990s, Enron’s arrogant muscle-flexing and inducements caused long-term damage to India’s power sector liberalisation. It is we, the people, who have paid the price.

The telecom industry spends huge money on advertising which gives it significant clout. That is why the media, barring occasional exceptions, is at pains to remain neutral while reporting the wrangling and twisting of policy that ensured huge profits to the industry. Both the Ambani brothers have benefited from this fact when they controlled Reliance Telecom at different times.

Now again, editors don’t want to be in the awkward position of having to take a stand on the gas issue. It would mean choosing between the warring brothers, who are both extremely powerful. So one celebrity editor, briefed and fed on an exclusive basis by PR persons on both sides, is none the wiser and wants the Supreme Court to decide the issue. That will, indeed, be the ultimate solution, but shouldn’t the media do its job of discussing issues, gathering expert views and presenting facts? The media will be aggressively intrusive on something like the Aarushi murder case and even destroy lives. But when two industry giants, with huge media budgets, fight a bloody war, we would rather take the issues out of the public domain, advice everybody to do the same and allow the Supreme Court to decide.

Interestingly, nobody knows this better than Anil Ambani himself. And, luckily, he has the power to buy himself a voice by spending crores of rupees to plant one blistering question a day on the front pages of every national newspaper. At the time of going to the press, four questions had been asked and six more are apparently in the pipeline. The questions he has posed are certainly of interest to the public and irrespective of issues that the brothers may have over sharing their stupendous wealth, we the ordinary people, need some answers.

Let’s paraphrase the questions so far. Anil Ambani is suggesting through his questions and other statements that Mukesh Ambani is using the support of petroleum minister Murli Deora to tweak policy and give Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) ‘super normal profit’ at the cost of public sector entities. In all this, the government would earn only Rs 500 crore. He says:

# The Petroleum Ministry wants NTPC to pay 80% more for gas, than what RIL had voluntarily offered it earlier, causing a Rs 30,000 crore loss to NTPC.
# The Petroleum Ministry has approved “a shockingly disproportionate 400% hike in the project cost” of RIL’s KG D6 gas field, from Rs 12,000 crore to Rs 45,000 crore. This will cause a loss of Rs 30,000 crore to the government and increase retail power tariffs by 50% or more.
# While global gas prices have dropped 80%, the Petroleum Ministry wants power and fertiliser companies to pay 20% more for gas from RIL.
# RIL’s KG D6 gas field is operating at only 40% capacity and can treble its production, creating an artificial scarcity and demanding a higher price.

These and other such questions that Anil Ambani has posed need to be answered. They are not about a property battle. So far, RIL has issued a single statement saying, “We emphatically refute and outrightly reject the baseless, tendentious and motivated allegations and insinuations…” It also calls itself a mere contractor for the government excavating gas from the KG basin. This is hard to swallow.

RIL must put facts on the table. And if it has its own stories about how Anil Ambani twists policy for his benefit, let’s hear those, too. For instance, we would all like to know why ADAG’s tariffs in Mumbai are soaring while the Tatas are able to supply power at more reasonable rates.

When it comes to mega-infrastructure projects, utilities (including telecom) and natural resources (land, water, mines), the lack of information has allowed a tiny elite to manipulate policy by agreeing to share the loot with our venal politicians. A few more family feuds and corporate wars are just the cleanser that we need.

Understanding aam aadmi

2009-09-15T05:31:00.000-07:00

Must have seen the images of Jaya Prada on Monday on television and in Tuesday’s newspapers. She did a heroic act by ploughing herself on the flooded reins of Rampur and that too on a bullock cart when most of the ministers, Parliamentarains survey the area via helicopter. She may not have imagined the hardships that people in village have to undergo for meeting the everyday commitment of living. To further exacerbate the misery, the floods puts them on the edge of extinction. It’s a pity for India, that our MPs claim to know their people and regions well enough and yet are not aware whether there are roads in the constituency or not. Jaya Prada is indeed one of the hard working MPs in Uttar Pradesh. She had really worked for her constituency. At least the same was said in Union Elections, 2009. You can imagine the areas in UP (Uttar Pradesh)where there has been no development.

She started crying and wailing when the bullock cart got stuck in waist deep waters. Yes….. like a true Indian Parliamentarian, she was moved by the plight of the people due to flooding of the region. She was moved and retracted from her emotional state and promised that a proper pucca road will be built connecting the village to the city. The best she could offer to the people struggling to keep themselves afloat against the flood.

She can perhaps learn something from people of her constituency. Not to lose confidence and try to stay afloat as long as possible.

The photograph beneath shows a barly clothes man making his way through the floods carrying his livelihood on his shoulders.

Flying on the dusk or Landing into the dawn

2009-09-14T00:29:00.000-07:00

Last few month newspapers were flooded with the news of poorly managed Air India and questioned everything for the existence of airports, airplanes, Air India, Indian Airline, the merger, the airline industry globally and in India, the low cost model, full service carrier, babudom, Naresh Goyal, Vijay Mallya, pilots, stewards, airhostesses, the tax structure, regulatory structure, fare structure, running of airline.

Why the airline industry is in such a bad shape? We cannot blame the Indian carriers for this, globally it has been the case of airline industry. Except for Virgin Airlines, which has been profitable since its inception barring post 9/11 period. But can anybody figure out the elimination of airplanes from our lives. The world is trying to assimilate across geographies because of information, communication and logistics. Logistics is featuring because of the airline industry. Why Government’s globally are not trying to focus their attention on airline industry is a question unto itself?

Pilots, one of the elitist lots of the industry have formed an association and guild to protect their interests because of the wavering health of the giant airline companies. They have grounded their demands and doomed the airline company on 8th September 2009. This is seriously a terrorism as Mr. Naresh Goyal puts it. Although he is one of the most cunning and shrewd businessman in India, who pocketed (in his personal accounts) all the proceeds of the IPO and that too legally. Two colleagues are fired and we go on strike. Oops, its not strike but it’s a mass leave. Although if we dig into the story and then the tide may turn on the other side. I don’t why, but Mr, Naresh Goyal lands himself up in such precarious and teething issues. Earlier one fine day he gets up and fires 800 employees and then in 48 hours, he realizes he was wrong. Why because mother advised in dreams not to do so? Whose mother came to dreams to cover up on the bomb you have fired, only Allah can tell. Again the manner in which employees were fired was a recipe of disaster.

(Should he turn his back and then performing the gesture)

I don’t know, if you call that a good and smart business-man. Certain business decisions are required and are harsh and not everybody likes them. But then there’s a way to approach things. I am afraid, no mother or father came to Mr. Goyal’s dream to tell how to do things in a business. He can definitely author a book, “Seven Habits of Highly Successful Foolish People”.

Other airlines are also treading the same path. Our own sarkari airlines company needs to do few of such foolish things so as to not suck people’s money from Govt’s coffers. But then they say God exists, that is why India is healthy and growing.

Govt. is struggling to juggle and break the coterie of the Union of Indian Airlines. The Union has held hostage the company’s operations and coffers. Some of the employees have the highest level of salaries and perquisites paid by Govt. of India to any officer in any rank in its departments, ministries and even the chief executives of its Navratna.

(Govt. is representing the mascot of Air India by bowing to employees dacoity skills)

Reading the above piece, one feels that employees are the biggest concern of the airline companies in India. But that is not the case except for Indian Airlines, who employee per airplane is more than 500 compared to global standards of 200. But the industry’s concern is the tax structure applicable to the industry.

On August 18, the entire industry wanted to ground the airplanes for a day and the loss of the same to the economy and business would have been in few hundred crores. But luckily IndiGo pulled out of it and hence the attempt failed.

Should Govt wait for such act to be implemented to take further actions? Why is it that when we push ourselves and others to extreme we can expect some result?

A typical Delhi – Mumbai flight ticket structure is:
Fare breakup
Base fare Rs. 599 (18%)
Fuel surcharge Rs. 2,400 (71%)
Psgr. Svc. Fee Rs. 229 (7%)
Airport Dev. Fee Rs. 100 (3%)
Service tax Rs. 7
Service fee Rs. 30
Discount Rs. 4
Total Rs. 3,361

Base Fare is the money earned by the airline company.
Fuel Surcharge ideally should go to the petroleum company.
Airport Development Fee goes to the Airport Authorities of India (the owner of Airport).
Passenger Service Fee (for providing security) and few taxes left at the end land with the Govt. of India.

However indirectly a major chunk of the Fuel Surcharge goes to the Govt. via the petroleum companies.

The Govt. is trying different measures to keep Indian Airlines afloat. They are planning to inject Rs. 5,000 Crore of debt securities, equity securities to keep the airline afloat. Does it make sense to run an airline company by way of subsidies in the name of financial restructuring when we are not able to provide on-ground solutions for Indian junta? The urban class will say we pay taxes, Rs. 5,000 Crore is not a big deal against Rs. 60,000 Crore farm loan waiver, Rs. 30,000 Crore for NREGA and Rs. 10,000 for JNNURM.

A better idea that Govt. can look at – is not to expect any revenue from Aviation sector in India. It’s a huge subsidy burden that the Govt. is carrying on its shoulders. The cost of running and upkeep of airport infrastructure is huge and I am sure, the Govt. wouldn’t be recovering the operational costs for the same.

Add to the fact, the debtors that state oil companies (HP, BP, IOC) are carrying for ferrying passengers in the sky. Airline companies are supposed to pay the Fuel Surcharge to the Oil companies but the payments have been delayed in the past by over six months and oil companies carrying debtors to the tune of thousands of crores and had threatened Kingfisher in the past to pay or else the fuel supplies will be suspended. One can imagine the loot the airline companies are running on the exchequer. On the other side, the high taxes that Govt. has collected from aviation space will be shot as Oil bonds to petroleum companies and as restructuring for our very won Maharaja.

Does it make sense for Govt. to nip private airlines to keep Indian Airlines employees in happy spirit? The mess in the airline industry is in a way wrests on the high-headed Indian Airlines employees. The Govt. and the ministry needs to take the responsibility of the mess that they have created in the airline industry and Indian Airlines. The top management shake up, bottom management twirl up, top-down or down-top business model, no approach will work unless the attitude of the Indian Airlines employees goes through a massive shake-up. A stimulus package may be worked out for the industry in the interim phase till complete reform of the industry in terms of regulation and the working is defined. We should not be smoking bidis when we are talking about Cigars.

377: Is it about Legality or Societal issue?

2009-09-03T02:55:00.000-07:00

The abolition of Article 377 in IPC was seen as the next step towards India’s modernisation in terms of culture and economic. Though we are a little late in adopting the latest sexual communities/taboos of the world but finally yes we are ready for it. I have a doubt, if the tradition of sati was still practiced in India then who will run to fire for whom. Do we really feel that a change in legal constraint has meant that they are liberated? Personally I don’t have anything against homosexuals/heterosexuals/bisexual/bestiality. It is a personal choice of every person. Besides they say Love knows no boundaries, no expressions. Its just a feeling. At times, I really wish to feel such kind of feeling from a guy. But sorry, females are very lovely creatures, I don’t wish to ditch them.

Our Constitution says all men and women are equal, irrespective of their name, sex, caste, colour, creed, etc. The reason for introduction of this Fundamental Right was to eliminate the differences prevalent in Indian society against women. But this is probably the first time, men were asking for their right in India. Lesbian was/is less vulnerable than gay. The expressions of feelings and love in gayhood were/are illegal.

At times, I feel Indian society is more open than westerners. If two men are going arm in arm in streets, nobody in India would look at them with suspicion. But in western world, it is symbolic for the liberation of lovers from the same sex. One of my friends, who visited Australia around 2000 had put an arm around his friends’ shoulder. His friend shouted and instructed him to walk five feet from him. They were not gays’. My friend was not able to interpret him at that time. As the saying goes, Ignorance is Bliss.

Nobody in India has really big concerns about being homosexual. There are many who don’t understand it. One of my colleagues was extremely flustered at the abolition of Article 377 and said, they should not be allowed to be in open. They should remain in their closet. But he forget that you cannot hide your identity in your closet. Similarly they also wish to be recognized as normal people but have tendency and likeness to love the person of same sex.

We have August Kranti Parade on 16th August for gay pride and acceptability of their culture. The only issue in India is that men are very frustrated. I know a lot of my friends aged 20 to 25, who have never touched a female or felt a female. They wish too, but they are not able too and there are too many if’s and but’s for no reason. They are not ready to play with prostitutes. Given their mindset and conditions, they have more tendencies to become gay (if provoked) out of frustration.

I would like to know the reasons for people opposing against the rules of the game. The Jagao and Sulayo Organizations are always motivated by the some regional, state and central political parties/organizations.

We need not change the mindset of the people opposing to homosexuals. We need a complete overhaul of the system. In 1947, Hindustan revolted against British. So many stories and theories exist of liberation, separation and freedom for a country, be it America even. But the societal boundaries that are creeping up in our system, I really wonder who is going to rescue us from the same.

Still there is light at the end of the tunnel, there are people like this woman who are trying to do something different for the society than revolting to change legal guidelines on how to love and make love.

A website for transwomen.

After numerous matrimonial websites, here comes a marriage portal for transwomen (transgenders who have successfully undergone sex reassignment surgery - SRS). The website http://www.thirunangai.net was recently launched by Sahodari Foundation of Chennai.

Sahodari Foundation is founded and headed by Kalki Subramanian, who recently underwent SRS. The idea came about when many transwomen friends of Kalki tried to put up their profiles in popular matrimonial websites. The portals promptly threw out the profiles. The portals were not comfortable with the gender orientation of the applicant that clearly stated that the applicant had "successfully become a woman through surgery".

This prompted Kalki to launch an exclusive site for transwoman.
The website has been launched to find a perfect, trustworthy husband who will treat the transwoman with love, affection care and above all treat the transwoman with dignity, equality as well as respect. The site also encourages couples to have a family through adoption with the total support of the husband.

Is it about the book or nationalism?

2009-08-28T03:32:00.000-07:00

BC Khanduri writes to Rajnath over his ouster
Now, BJP hit by ‘Sudarshan chakra’
Vasundhara Raje given three days to quit her post
Nervous BJP hesitates to act against rebel Shourie
Jaswant’s Jinnah: Dividing India To Save It
I supported Advani when he praised Jinnah: Jaswant
Modi’s ‘budhiya’ remarks, Varun speeches caused defeat: BJP

It was quite disheartening to read such kind of news in newspaper. BJP is the only Hope of an ordinary Indian. They were the first organization to demonstrate running a coalition in India. It is the only party which can play the role of an opposition. There should always be an intelligent and healthy opposition in India to avoid the country running into autocracy. Moreover we know and understand that Congress is an autocracy only. Govt. is Congress. BJP definitely has to behave a little responsibly.

They are fighting cats and dogs out of the issue which is not going to affect India or even the prospects of their party whatsoever. They themselves are responsible for creating an issue out of a mole hill. Launch of the book on Jinnah by Jaswant Singh. I have not read the book. I do not understand what is so bad about hailing Jinnah as a nationalist, secular. Praising Jinnah over Gandhi is not a crime. I am quite sure it is not going to affect their vote bank either. Everybody knows all the important tasks that Mr. Nehru had undertaken in those times of which even his family feels ashamed.

As a true Indian concerned about their best interests, they should raise the voice if anybody bad is said about Gandhi. Though personally I don’t feel anything is wrong in that even. Its been sixty years since we have suppressed the reality behind the partition and creation of India, Pakistan and the roots of Bangladesh.

But the bull shit that BJP is running after. It is bringing their frustration onto the streets. They are throwing all the skeletons out of their closet. It is not a healthy stuff in the democracy. On number of occasions, politicians stage such fights themselves but this time it is leading to the direction of self-destruction.

BJP knows and understand the reasons for its debacle in elections. Keeping all things aside, they don’t have a national ace to project. After Mr. Vajpayee, everybody wanted something better from BJP. No party in India has a reverend statesman like Mr. Vajpayee.

Some of the quotes from newspapers after release of Mr. Jinnah’s book, which makes me feel sad. Our only hope of freeing ourselves from the clutches of INC. I believe more in Congress theories but still something new and different needs to be brought on the table. BJP possessed the capability for the same. But now it seems we were just dreaming.

Former union minister Jaswant Singh on Thursday said he had supported LK Advani, who nearly resigned as BJP president in the wake of internal criticism for praising Mohammad Ali Jinnah during his visit to Pakistan in 2005. “I had stood up against the treatment that was meted out to Advaniji because I believed that he had not said anything that was contrary to facts,” Singh told reporters on returning to Delhi from Shimla after his expulsion from the party. “I had stood up for the right of Advaniji to say what he had said,” he said.

“Various reasons for the defeat like personalised attacks on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, lopsided campaigning, projection of weak and shady candidates, and in-fighting among top leaders were discussed in detail,” the leader said. “Failure of the party to motivate the youth, debacle in the Delhi assembly elections and Varun’s hate speech were also the reasons for the party’s defeat,” the leader added.

An internal report of BJP has reportedly blamed senior party leader L. K. Advani, Modi and Jaitely, besides other top leaders for the BJP’s debacle in this year’s general elections. According to a report, there was a perceived lack of unity among the party leadership and the BJP squarely failed to advertise its agenda among the general public.

The report also says the projection of Modi as the prime ministerial candidate by certain members of the party and the personal attack on the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (which did not go down well with the people), were key factors in contributing to the BJP’s electoral loss.

The other factors responsible were: (1) The highlighting of the Varun Gandhi issue, which pushed aside the other main issues; (2) The party failed to assess the public mood in Haryana and conceded a virtual walkover to the Congress; (3) Elections were lost in Delhi even before campaigning began; (4) the BJP failed to corner the Congress on 26/11 and (5) Allowing the Congress and the media to corner the BJP on the Kandahar hijack issue.

A section of the BJP feels that the dilution of Hindutva had led to confusion in the party cadres and cost the BJP dearly in the recent Lok Sabha polls. It contended that Hindutva was “inclusive, representing the finest imprints of our cultural and civilisational ideas. This profound concept is the real inspiration for a resurgent India with which the BJP is proud to be associated.”

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh on Tuesday asked senior Rajasthan leader Vasundhara Raje to quit as leader of opposition in the state assembly within the next three days.

“She wants a respectable exit. She has made three conditions to resign -- that she be given a plum organisational post, the suspension of the two MLAs should be revoked and the new leader of opposition be of her choice.”

Javadekar said, “This is not a show cause. Nor has he been sent a notice for explanation.” The exceptional caution in dealing with Shourie, who on Monday had fired a barrage of charges at the BJP leadership calling them a “humpty-dumpty” and an “Alice in blunderland” while making a strong pitch for an RSS takeover, came from a concern that he could well churn out a steady stream of embarrassing “truths”.

The former editor has provided more than a glimpse of this when he criticised party chief Rajnath Singh for sacking B C Khanduri as Uttarakhand CM and acting against Raje.

The world of books requires some chintan, but fortunately no chintan baithak. Who or what, then, is the story: Jinnah or the BJP? The two are not entirely unrelated, for the BJP was formed as a direct consequence of the creation of Pakistan. The umbilical cord still sends spasms up its central nerve.

Two questions frame the Jaswant-Jinnah controversy. Was Jinnah secular? Do Nehru and Patel share the “guilt” for Partition?

It does affect any Indian whether Jinnah or Nehru was responsible for partition? It is like asking who is WORST.